2009AnnuAl report

2009AnnuAl report

2 From the president

5 past presidents

6 office Bearers & Staff

8 Honour roll

SubCommitteeReports

10 track & Field

13 Cross Country & road racing

17 officials

21 records

24 Statistics

25 tracks

Management Reports

26 From the Chief executive

28 programs

30 Development

36 Competition

CompetitionAwards

40 XCr Awards

42 Summer Awards

44 Membership Statistics

46 Victorian Institute of Sport

48 FinancialReport

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2009AnnuAl report

mission: to encourage, improve, promote and manage athletics in victoria.

we will:

.encourage participation in athletics by all people

.provide for the development of athletes at all levels of ability from beginners to elite

.increase the profile and awareness of athletics within the community

.provide for the development of coaches, officials, administrators and other volunteers in athletics

.provide financial viability

Athletics Victoria continues to enjoy growth in all aspects of our sport. participation numbers continue to climb steadily. Financial growth has been important. AV needs to increase its surplus in order to maintain many of the programs previously supported by the government’s Moving Athletics Forward funding.

the continued growth of our sport over the past few years is due in part to a resurgence of athletics and running’s popularity amongst the general public but also because of the great success of AV’s development programs in clubs, coaching, officiating and developing pathways linking AV with schools and little Athletics. We have a fantastically dedicated staff. they put in an enormous effort as well as many unpaid hours of overtime. this includes helping out most weekends through summer and winter, club and schools events.

ThankyouI would like to thank and congratulate the office staff on yet another fantastic job throughout 2008/2009 and welcome new staff members, elizabeth Stubbings (administration officer) tom nickson (pr and communications officer) and Jill taylor (programs liaison) to the team.

nick Honey, Jade Borella, Michelle James, tim Crosbie, Matt Griffin, Don Blyth, tudor Holton, Sharon russell, tom nickson, toby Borella (who left AV in May) and elizabeth Stubbings have all put in above and beyond the call of duty and their efforts are much appreciated.

thanks also to our many committed officials, coaches, club administrators and committee members whose valuable contributions and tireless efforts make our sport happen.

Congratulationsnot everyone can be publically applauded, but I would like to congratulate pam noden, John Coleman and Martyn Kibel on their official of the Year awards.

two of our members were recognized in the Queen’s birthday honours. Congratulations to paul Jenes and ronda Jenkins who were both awarded the oAM for their contribution to athletics. their work in diligently recording results and keeping records and statistics form the basis of the history of our sport.

ronda’s and paul’s contributions of course expands into many other areas of our sport at club, state and national levels, serving on various committees and working hard behind the scenes. the oAM is a deserved award for these dedicated passionate athletics people.

Congratulations to the 2008 XCr premiership clubs Box Hill (men) and Knox (women) and our male and female XCr athletes of the year lee troop and Susie Michelsson.

Congratulations to the 2008/2009 Shield champions in all divisions and age groups.

Congratulations to our Victorian athletes who have been selected to compete in Berlin at the World Athletic Championships: tamsyn lewis, Collis Birmingham, Jeff riseley, Madeleine pape, Sean Wroe, lisa Jane Weightman, Jared tallent, Chris erickson, Mark tucker, David Mcneill, Alwyn Jones, Anthony Alozie, Jessica rothwell, Josh ross, Aaron rouge‑Serret, Andrew letherby, Sarah Jamieson and nathan Deakes.

Anne lorD, preSIDent, AtHletICS VICtorIA

From thePresident

2

As a sport we must understand that all of us; the office, the board, the committees, the clubs, the officials, the coaches are working together for the athletes and for the sport. Some are paid, some are volunteers but we are there because we want to be and we want to be there to foster, grow and support the sport and its athletes.

Summerthe 2008/2009 summer season was very well supported with increasing numbers.

thanks to Marian o’Shaughnessy in her first year as chair of the summer committee. one of the challenges of our sport is that it has to cater for all levels of competitors, provide sufficient events on the program for these athletes to compete in yet run a timely and efficient competition. the summer committee is working hard to achieve this.

Communication and feedback is critical and as well as our annual surveys, Jade and Marian organised special focus group meetings to discuss more effective ways of conducting our competitions and what each of the event group needs. thanks to all those who participated in these meetings, your input is greatly appreciated.

A big disappointment for 2008/2009 was the ongoing issue of scoring and ranking. Although many aspects of our open score system were improved, there remained glitches. Many of these were operational but our It team and Michelle James (I particularly thank Michelle in this regard as she spent many hours after dark re entering data) worked tirelessly to rectify mistakes. Special thanks to tudor Holton, Craig Mahony, and the It team for continuing their work on open Score. Modifications and subsequent testing has continued this XCr season with pleasing results.

XCRXCr 2008 saw us just short of 7000 participants over the season. the XCr events continue to grow. So far this season (XCr 2009) we have had record numbers at every event.

the XCr committee continues to do a terrific job. thanks to tim Crosbie and his team. I would also like to thank all our regular officials who brave the elements to come out and conduct our XCr events. We cater for the quick and the slow and often our officials patiently wait for the completion of the event. 3

YouTubeour resident Martin Scorcese, David Armstrong’s You tube coverage has been extremely popular and adds another dimension to our web site. Interaction with our members has been fantastic. this has been a fabulous addition to AV and I would like to thank David for all the time and effort he puts in both filming, editing and producing these documentaries.

one of the aims of Athletics Victoria is that while recognising the various issues at different venues and different regions, we are one sport and it is important for our sport to grow in every corner of Victoria. We need to keep working together to improve the sport.

ConstitutionA new constitution was introduced and accepted at the 2009 summer general meeting. Ian Jones headed up the team with Don Blyth and nick Honey. there were many opportunities for consultation through email and meetings. I would like to thank those who contributed. the need for a more modern constitution and the process of consultation on the changes meant that new constitution was voted in unanimously.

OlympicPark/AlbertParkWork on the State Athletic Centre continues. A significant amount of our Ceo’s time is taken up with work on this project, including discussions with various government departments and the architects and drawing up documents, meetings with other stakeholders etc. I thank nick for his increased hours, time, effort and dedication to this role. Brett Moore continues to play a vital role in our negotiations with the government. Special thanks for his ongoing work.

the technical aspects of the State Athletic Centre project have been considered from day one and David Gynther (AA) and Khan Sharp have been involved from the start. I would like to thank them for their diligence and patience as they continue to advise, recommend and report to the appropriate bodies.

Anne lorD, preSIDent, AtHletICS VICtorIA

From thePresident

I would like to thank the board for their continued support over the past year.

pat Scammell leaves the board this year. He has accepted a job in Queensland. I would like to personally thank pat for his support. I have appreciated his experience and advice over the past few years. His contribution to policy and process has been much appreciated. I would like to thank pat for his work with Matt Griffin in trying to encourage club and athletic development in the country.

I would like to thank eric Sigmont, our treasurer who continues to monitor and report on our finances, lisa Hasker and richard Burnet who are working on our marketing committee, Brett Moore who is absolutely pivotal to our government negotiations regarding Albert park, (Brett has bought a level of professionalism to these meetings and continues to push for the AV cause), Ian Jones who has worked extremely hard in his first year on the board, (meticulous in his development of our new constitution, this was reflected by its unanimous acceptance), russell Clowes who has worked hard both on and off the track this year (back competing including Victorian Decathlon championships!!) with his involvement with the summer committee and the It team, putting in a great deal of time to these areas.

Sponsorship continues to play a vital role in developing and promoting athletics. Special thanks to our long time sponsor and supporter neil ryan from runner’s World. thanks to our government Moving Athletics Forward programs supported by the State Government of Victoria. I would also like to thank Adidas, Skins, Clarion Hotels, Citrus Growers, and run for your life magazine.

the key to continued success is working together and actively seeking to improve our sport. We must not get complacent. We should not just “accept” because it’s always been that way or is satisfactory. We must continue to strive for improvement if athletics is to become a sport of choice.

AnneLordpreSIDent4

Past Presidents

VictorianAmateurAthleticAssociation1891 ‑ 1897 Hon robert W BeSt MlA *

1897 ‑ 1897 Mr Walter t ColDHAM *

1897 ‑ 1901 Mr Montague CoHen *

1901 ‑ 1905 Mr lawrence A ADAMSon *

1905 ‑ 1918 Sir John MADDen *

1918 ‑ 1943 Sir William H IrVIne *

1943 ‑ 1957 Sir John G lAtHAM *

1957 ‑ 1970 Sir Wilfred K HuGHeS *

1970 ‑ 1976 Sir edgar S tAnner *

1976 ‑ 1978 Hon Justice Allan W McDonAlD

1978 ‑ 1982 Sir Murray V McInerneY *

VictorianWomen’sAmateurAthleticAssociation1929 ‑ 1935 Miss louise C MIllS *

1935 ‑ 1937 Mrs Doris M MulCAHY *

1937 ‑ 1938 Mrs Flora HYAMS *

1938 ‑ 1945 Miss louise C MIllS *

1945 ‑ 1948 Miss Doris J CArter *

1948 ‑ 1952 Mrs Doris Il DAVIS *

1952 ‑ 1961 Mrs Mabel e roBInSon *

1961 ‑ 1962 Mrs lena BerZInSKI *

1962 ‑ 1965 Mrs Aileen Ve KenneDY *

1965 ‑ 1976 Mrs Joyce I DAVIS

1976 ‑ 1982 Mrs Margaret l MAHonY

VictorianAthleticAssociationInc.1982 ‑ 1983 Dr Frank p lArKInS

1983 ‑ 1984 Mr Gary A CoZenS

1984 ‑ 1989 Mr Stan M l GuIlFoYle

1989 ‑ 1992 Dr Brian HoDGSon

AthleticsVictoriaInc.1992 ‑ 1994 Dr Brian HoDGSon

1994 ‑ 1995 Mr Greg D leWIS

1995 ‑ 1997 Mr Kevin l DYnAn

1997 ‑ 2002 Mr John K HIGHAM

2002 ‑ 2005 Mr Max C BInnInGton

2005 ‑ Ms Anne r lorD *Deceased 5

&Office Bearers

StaffAtHletICS VICtorIA, 2008‑09

BoardofDirectorsPresident Anne lord

VicePresident lisa Hasker

VicePresident russell Clowes

Treasurer eric Sigmont

BoardMembers

richard Burnet

Ian Jones

Brett Moore

pat Scammell

SubCommitteeManagersChampionships&SpecialMeetsKhan Sharp

Coaching Harry Summers

Country pat Scammell

Officials richard lawysz

Summer Marian o’Shaughnessy

Technical Gary McBroom

XCR tim Crosbie

StaffCEO nick Honey

ProgramsManager Jade Borella

ClubDevelopmentManager tim Crosbie

CompetitionsManager Michelle James

DevelopmentOfficer Matt Griffin

SystemsCoordinator tudor Holton

AccountsManager Sharon russell

OfficialsDevelopmentOfficer Don Blyth

AdministrationOfficer elizabeth Stubbings

PR&CommunicationsOfficer tom nickson

CoachingServices Steve Cain

ProgramsLiaison Jill taylor

OfficersLegalAffairs Scott Chesterman

RecordsOfficer ronda Jenkins

SelectionOfficer ronda Jenkins

Statistician paul Jenes

TracksOfficer Kevin Dynan

6

7

LifeMembers

1896 pArKInSon Basil J *1901 CoHen Montague * 1904 BArrett Albert o * 1906 trAVIS Herbert A * 1909 BrIGGS Walter e * 1912 Croll robert H * 1914 ADAMSon lawrence A CMG MA *1915 Serle e Hamilton oBe * SHAppere philip * 1920 StIllWell J Alexander * 1926 SMItH Harry D * 1928 ABBott Harry A * lAnGForD George e * 1935 WeIr Hugh r CBe * 1938 rYAn William M * 1939 SCHoBer Albert V * 1944 AKerS phyllis M * MIllS louise C * WIllSon Doris M* 1945 neVIlle lilian M oAM * pAInter Wilfred e * 1948 roBInSon Mabel e MBe * o’DrISColl Jack X QC oBe *1949 KenneDY Aileen Ve BeM * pIZZeY F H “Bill” * GrAnt C William H * 1951 AItKen C ronald CBe * CurnoW leonard B oBe *1953 GArDIner C Herbert G QJM *1954 KIelY nance * 1957 Bennett Iris I * MAYer Sidney M * MorrIS evelyn lF * 1958 DunCAn F May * DAVIeS owen e * 1961 CleMSon reginald * 1963 JAMIeSon Alexander A * 1964 McQuISton Maisie BeM * 1967 pAtCHInG Julius l Ao oBe * StrInGer George B * 1968 MeArS Kitt F * CAMpBell A Hugh *1969 roBInSon Alfred e * 1970 AnDerSSon phyllis M H1972 Moore edward *1973 Dunn Crystal1974 eAStHAM edward D *1975 eMBlInG Stewart A *

1976 FerrIer Douglas G * Gell Jean I1977 BuroW Amy eB DAVIS Joyce I MBe1979 DAVIS Doris Il * McDonAlD Allan W Hon Mr Justice1980 leACH William J *1981 BeoVICH Beverley l * CHuGG Jack W * MAHonY Margaret l oAM 1982 Bell Donald F oAM * DYnAn Kevin l1983 DAVIS robert l * tunAleY William S *1984 GAlBrAItH Alec C *1985 BIGGInS Jack McD * DoWneS lola C oAM StAnton Horace J ISM *1986 ColDreY Fred H * FIelD ralph W * GrIerSon William r * Knott George CH * lonnQuISt Arthur H * McBetH emily t * pAtterSon Marion J oAM StAnton Doreen F * turner Dick A * WooD WJp “Bill” *1988 GrAF Fred JG * nICHollS Stanley l oAM * roBleY Stuart e SCHuBert Henri J MBe * SHIlSton Mark W *1991 GrAnt Irene M * HoDGSon Brian1992 KennY raymond M *1993 HIneS Joan l roBertS phyl M *1994 SAunDerS Margaret l *1995 ABBott Sylvia M DunBAr Margaret e FrASer Martha * tHoMpSon Margaret A WAtt eileen M *1996 AGG patricia J1997 GuIlFoYle Stanley Ml AM1998 CurnoW Vern W HoCHreIter rudi J * JenKInS ronda M oAM WooDS e Frank *

AtHletICS VICtorIAHonour Roll

8

1999 nolAn Charles r SMItH raymond C SteVenS Harold M oAM2000 JeneS paul oAM2001 CArMoDY Joseph * CollInGS Vern F SIllItoe neville J2002 BrADBurY B Joy2003 MC lellAn Amy C C2005 FISHer Margaret M2007 WHItCHell Athur2008 lAWYSZ richard preSton laurie WIllIAMS tony

MeritAward

1960 Burt Maisie S *1962 MeArS Kitt F *1969 Venn Fay n *1970 McBetH emily t * roSe Gladys I * StAnton Doreen F *1972 HolMAn Keith1974 pAtterSon Marion J oAM1978 StepHenSon Harry F *1980 SAunDerS George e MBe *1983 nICHollS Stanley l oAM *1984 Dunn Jack B * FrASer Martha * FrASer William C* WooD WJp ‘Bill’ *1986 ABBott Sylvia M1987 CoX Sydney J * HenrY laurie F *1988 KItt W David * WAlSH Jim F*1989 KennY raymond M * SAunDerS Margaret l *1990 DonAlD Wyn V DunBAr Margaret e1991 FoleY royce p * roBertS phyl M *1992 AGG patricia J VAuGHAn Hazel G1994 BetHell peter S BourKe russell J BrADBurY B Joy HoCHreIter rudi J * letHBrIDGe rA ‘tony’ oAM WAtt eileen M * WooDS e Frank *1995 VoDDen nancie A *1996 WArren e Geoff

1998 GrAnt Geoff F HAll lew r * MIller ron A MInter Allan J SMItH J Gordon SMItH laura A * WIllIAMS tony J1999 FISHer Margaret M KItt Ivan t lAWYSZ richard B2000 BlunDY Merv A DAVIDSon John G HAnCoCK tom B MorGAn lorraine M AM2001 luCArDIe ron t * MCKeCHnIe Hugh l tooHeY Bill J VInCent trevor A WooDBrIDGe russell H2002 MoneGHettI Stephen J preSton laurence G rICKArD Ian upton Ian2003 HAll Ken r MC DonAlD ray Moore Brian puopolo A ‘Gus’ J2004 AnDerSon peter K GArDIner robert C MAJor Geoff W WIllIAMS Irene2006 lAMBDen ruby WHItCHell Arthur2007 BArrett peter GArtSIDe patricia noDen pamela2008 BArnett Diana BoAS John GrIFFIn rod MASon Harry * MASon Judy SteWArt Bill WIGMore Kevin VIZe Beth

DistinguishedService

1989 DAVIeS Judy J1994 GuIlFoYle Stanley Ml AM2002 CHeSterMAn Scott2002 HIGHAM John K

*Deceased 9

It is with pleasure that I present the following report concerning the 2008‑09 Athletics Victoria Summer Season for the careful consideration by the members and clubs of Athletics Victoria. Buoyed by record membership, the committee is dedicated to the continued strengthening and re‑vitalisation of grass‑roots participation in Victorian track and field.

CommitteeAchievementsin2008-09through the course of the past 12 months, the summer committee has worked diligently to streamline and improve the structure and operations of AV Shield competition. By updating the AV Shield rules, and installing a new eligibility scheme for AV Shield Finals, the committee aimed to stimulate weekly participation levels. Discussions with regions’ committees concerning possible program order changes, has also been undertaken to a similar end, with the added motive of improving the efficiency and timeliness of competition schedules.

In conjunction with the AV officials Committee, the Summer Committee introduced a new system of appointing officials and a club roster for allocating weekly officiating duties.

Most satisfying was the findings of the club and member survey, in which athletes indicated a ‘high’ level of satisfaction with AV Shield competition.

looking to the future, the committee presented a new ‘mission statement’ and five‑year plan to the AV Board, detailing a vision and works schedule for the betterment of AV Shield competition. Deadlines for individual tasks and undertakings were included, with specific attention paid to short‑term targets in the next 12 months. Despite the plan’s ambitious nature, the committee is confident of meeting and achieving all objectives.

&Track FieldMArIAn o’SHAuGHneSSY, SuB CoMMIttee MAnAGer, SuMMer CoMpetItIon

ParticipationbyRegionRegion 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Total Total Change Total Change Min Max Total Change Min Max

Ballarat 134 115 ‑14.2% 143 24.3% 114 162 128* 0.7% 114 144

Bendigo 92 91 ‑1.1% 68 109 109* 42.9% 96 130

east 508 532 4.7% 528 ‑0.8% 446 610 500* 11.0% 427 586

Geelong 145 125 ‑13.8% 93 175 113* 8.0% 101 135

northWest 351 360 2.6% 402 11.7% 362 445 348* 10.7% 183 445

Southeast 327 401 22.6% 411* 2.5% 264* 526 372* 12.4% 188 462

* Abandoned competition

10

AreasForConsideration&ImprovementIn our attempt to revitalise and improve AV Shield competition, the committee has identified specific areas of deficiency for improvement. It is in these areas that the committee – in consultation with Athletics Victoria’s administration, clubs and members – will work towards improving and rectifying.

With rounds cancelled due to adverse weather (rain and extreme heat), there have been suggestions that eligibility rules be re‑considered to encompass these unplanned and unavoidable interruptions to AV Shield competition.

the ‘openScore’ It scoring project failed to deliver the promised outcomes on time. the AV Board has decided that ongoing development should continue over the XCr season with a view to having the system working efficiently by the beginning of the next track and Field season.

Following the results of the AV member survey, the timeliness and co‑ordination of AV Shield schedules will be investigated, to find solutions and best practice for weekly Shield competition. the envisaged outcome is to find a program that is operationally efficient, and prioritises the needs and well‑being of the athletes.

Finally, discussion will be had with country clubs as to the collaborative measures necessary to ensure their participation at AV Shield finals.

these aforementioned items will be initial areas of discussion and improvement when the committee re‑convenes in the 2009‑10 athletics season.

Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the following groups and individuals:

Fellow Summer Committee members – David Armstrong, Jade Borella, russell Clowes, Sam ellis, rod Griffin , Jeff Hawkins, nick Honey, Michelle James, Craig Mahony and pam noden – for all their commitment, support and effort throughout the past 12 months. AV Shield competition is the better for it.

the officials for their time, patience, and persistence with the new operational system of AV Shield competition.

the region’s Scorers and helpers for all the hours they put in to make openScore work.

Athletics Victoria Competitions Manager Michelle James, for her significant time commitment (and pain and suffering) trying to ensure the accuracy of openScore results.

Athletics Victoria’s nick Honey and Jade Borella for their counsel and direction during the season

Athletics Victoria Club Development Manager tim Crosbie, for his direction and information on club‑based matters.

As we move into season 2009‑10, I look forward to working with you all on the continued improvement and prosperity of AV Shield completion, and creating a new benchmark for state‑based athletics competition in Australia.

MarianO’ShaughnessySuB CoMMIttee MAnAGer, SuMMer CoMpetItIon

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2008-09ShieldPremiers

Women Men

Div 1 Athletics essendon Box Hill

Div 2 Western Athletics preston

Div 3 oakleigh

40+ Athletics Waverley

u20 Diamond Valley Western Athletics

u18 Athletics Waverley Box Hill

u16 preston Diamond Valley

u14 Keilor St Bernards preston

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12

&Cross Country

Road RacingtIM CroSBIe, SuB CoMMIttee MAnAGer, XCr CoMpetItIon

StatisticalOverview2008 witnessed sustained growth in participation rates, with an overall increase of 4.7% over 2007. this continues Athletics Victoria’s positive growth rates across all levels of membership and participation statistics.

the table below details historical data for each of the 10 races comprising the XCr series, with comparisons to 2007, 06, 05 and 00. Additionally, the table outlines the total growth figures across the series for the same years:

From a statistical perspective the growth of the latrobe university 15k/5k and Coliban relays are very pleasing, now placing each event in a comparatively healthier position than they have been before.

the Coliban relay growth comes as no accident, with considerable effort coming from both the XCr Committee and Bendigo region to ensure the event continues to provide a safer, rewarding and more enjoyable experience for teams and individuals. this event is no doubt a unique race on the calendar that it is finally attracting the level of support it deserves.

equally pleasing is the continued growth of what could be termed our traditionally larger events, the SKInS Sandown Classic, Saucony Sandown road relays, tan relays, Jells park Cross Country relays and the Bundoora Cross Country. these events form the backbone to the XCr series and must continue to thrive in order for the series itself to continue steady growth.

ParticipationbyEventRd Venue EventType 2008 2007 2006 2005 2000 %Diff

to2007%Diff

to2005%Diff

to20001 Jells park relay 939 906 886 797 590 3.6 17.8 59.2

2 lardner park Cross Country 667 701 632 592 524 ‑4.9 12.7 27.3

3 Sandown road race 862 845 793 638 539 2.0 35.1 59.9

4 la trobe uni road race 659 567 562 517 418 16.2 27.5 57.7

5 Bendigo relay 572 486 502 370 301 17.7 54.6 90.0

6 Geelong Cross Country 715 674 648 439 468 6.1 62.9 52.8

7 Bundoora* Cross Country 490 471 490 440 401 4.0 11.4 22.2

8 Sandown relay 828 823 831 685 627 0.6 20.9 32.1

9 Burnley road race 346 341 336 260 187 1.5 33.1 85.0

10 the tan relay 908 860 776 704 n/A 5.6 29.0 n/A

Totalparticipation 6986 6674 6456 5442 4055 4.7 28.4 72.3

Average participation per event 699 667 646 544 451 4.7 28.4 55.1

* open & u20 participants only. u14 to u18 are considered part of the Victorian All Schools Championship13

I’d also like to draw attention to the Geelong Cross Country event. In 2005 the traditional 10 mile Cross Country race faced an uncertain future. With declining numbers and a general reticence amongst athletes and coaches to take part, the general view was that it was a race to do for points and nothing else. In subsequent years, the relocation to Geelong, the inclusion of “tradition Day” and the general focus on the event’s long and rich history have seen this race thrive once again.

our demographic statistics reveal some slow but steadily evolving trends. the competition is still predominately open Male dominated, however, both the Female and Junior components are on the rise. the table above details these changes as percentages of total participation.

It is relevant to note that the above figures are not entirely accurate given that at some events such as the Coliban relay, there are is no Junior competition meaning all Juniors run in open divisions, while there are always a number of Women running in the Men’s competition for various reasons.

Divisions&Gradingthe continued use of the two up/two down promotion/relegation system, combined with regularly updated ladders, provided plenty of interest throughout the series. With many clubs engaged in battles to stay in or out of the promotion and relegation zones, the spirited level of club v club team competition that we strive for was achieved.

As usual anomalies appear where teams are either graded above or below their ability, however, the combined use of the two up/two down system plus a degree of commonsense and consultation has ensured yet another series

of lively competition in most divisions.

Indicative of the growing depth of XCr competition, 16 different clubs collected the 22 premiership flags awarded. Box Hill were the stand out amongst the pack, collecting their first Division 1 Men’s premiership in many years plus Men’s Division 3 and the Men’s under 20 title.

other notable flag winners included the u16 Boys from the richmond Harriers, a club more commonly associated with Masters competition, and the successful debut of new club South Coast with 2 premiership flags to their name.

Sponsorshiplimited sponsorship arrangements continue to provide the XCr series with opportunities to provide something beyond the norm at certain events.

our association with SKInS continued into the second of a three year deal, once again enabling AV to bolster the field with interstate competitors and further enhance the competitive nature of the event.

Saucony came on board for the Sandown relays and provided product for random prizes and a highly visible product display on the concourse. negotiations are currently underway to broaden this relationship in 2009.

Media&PromotionMuch of the standard promotion for XCr events continued on from 2007. Andrew Wear worked his extensive media contacts once again to ensure we received good coverage, particularly in regional areas.

the inclusion of Craig Mottram at the Jells park relays certainly generated a broad level of interest

Comparisonof%ofParticipationbyCategory

YearOpenMen

JuniorMen

TotalMen

OpenWomen

JuniorWomen

TotalWomen

TotalOpen

TotalJunior

2008 56.5 11.4 67.9 20.0 12.1 32.1 76.5 23.5

2007 58.1 10.9 69.0 20.7 10.3 31.0 78.8 21.2

2006 58.5 10.6 69.1 21.5 9.4 30.9 80.1 19.9

2005 60.7 11.0 71.7 17.7 10.6 28.3 78.4 21.6

2000 64.0 12.0 76.0 15.0 9.0 24.0 79.1 20.9

&Cross Country Road RacingtIM CroSBIe, SuB CoMMIttee MAnAGer, XCr CoMpetItIon

14

both from within and outside the running community. the ABC’s 7:30 report filmed the Jells park event for file footage in the lead up to the Beijing olympics, while both major daily newspapers gave Mottram’s appearance at Jells park space.

Added to this there were several radio interviews given in the lead up to the Coliban relays and national Cross Country.

run for Your life magazine continued to give our events strong coverage thanks to the input of paul Jenes, Andrew Wear and the AV photographers. Both the Sandown 10k and Advanced Freight Half Marathon received feature articles which act as a perfect promotional tool for next year’s calendar.

Special mention must be made of David Armstrong for his extensive coverage of the XCr series on AthsvictV. After trialling the video presentations in 2007, David went into full production in 2008, covering each of the ten XCr rounds, plus the national Cross Country. on top of this David also produced the excellent Beijing Bound series during what little spare time he had. With David’s slick editing and the golden voice of paul Jenes, we appear to have struck on a winning combination.

like so many people who help with the XCr series, David volunteers his own time. With the AthsvictV productions often available the day after the race, David spent many late nights doing his editing in order for the footage to go to air when the events are still fresh. With over 18,000 views of David’s work from around the world, this feature of the XCr promotional material was certainly a highlight of the series.

OverallReview&Summarypure statistics can’t always paint the picture of a series of races. XCr’08 was no doubt successful in many aspects, however, there were a number of disappointments as well. the Sandown mis‑measurement, for which I take full responsibility for, was no doubt a low light particularly given that despite the course shortfall our runners performed at an exceptional level.

Some fairly regular ‘issues’ with the scoring system also lead to a certain amount of frustration throughout the series. the XCr committee are conscious of the need for fast and accurate results and endeavour to deliver on this at all events.

obviously the lessons learnt from XCr’08 will be used to make XCr’09 an even better series.

As with David Armstrong mentioned above, a number of individuals volunteer a significant amount of their own time to make the XCr

series happen. Yvonne Glover, ably assisted by husband Alan, contribute may hours to the behind the scenes tasks such as tags and relay number production. Combined with their race day contributions, the Glovers play an integral part in ensuring we deliver a strong series.

Similarly tony Williams continues to play a major part in managing race day activities. With many of the XCr committee involved in other duties, or competing, it is up to tony to make sure the day runs smoothly and without incident. Yet again XCr’08 was relatively incident free and predominately ran to schedule thanks to tony’s contribution.

to all the other ‘regulars’ who volunteer throughout the series, I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you for a job well done. Whether they have performed the obvious or not so obvious tasks from a competitor’s perspective, there is no doubt that without their support we simply cannot run our competition.

unfortunately for the committee Andrew Wear has finished his three year ‘tour of duty’. Andrew came onto the committee in 2006 with a brief to raise the profile of the XCr Series, as it was back then. Andrew had a strong belief that we simply weren’t good at getting the message out about the series and through his efforts there is no doubt that 3 years later every creditable distance runner in Australia is aware of the strength and value of Victoria’s XCr series. We may be losing Andrew to the XCr committee but AV are confident of his continued valuable input into our sport.

2008 is also the last year for committee stalwart Marg Dunbar. Marg’s contribution to the committee over the past 20 years features too many achievements for a mere paragraph to do justice to. Marg will be greatly missed, but her legacy will be a very healthy competition that she has played a significant role in shaping.

Finally I’d like to thank the AV staff for their ongoing support. nick Honey continues to provide the guidance, with the occasional ‘no you can’t do that’ thrown in, while the other staff supply their areas of expertise – Jade through design & marketing, Don with officials, tudor on the technical issues and Matt with pure brute strength as assistant Van packer. And lastly to our Competition Manager, Michelle James, thanks for being the glue that held the series together ensuring once again that Victoria produced the most vibrant and successful Cross Country and road racing in the country.

TimCrosbieSuB CoMMIttee MAnAGer, XCr CoMpetItIon

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turnover of officials in athletics is not high but usually it is the most experienced who retire or leave for other reasons. the challenge is to replace them.

the level of and depth of commitment to athletics has changed for all involved. traditionally, officials took on the role on a long term basis but today volunteers are often involved in a number of sports. this broader approach can even have an impact within a single summer or winter season.

the number of officials prepared to undertake formal qualifications and further their development has been pleasing. this in turn, has opened up opportunities for those willing to test their skills and take on the responsibilities of more senior positions. We have encouraged and supported officials to put into practice the theory they have learned. there is nothing to compare to actually “doing the job”.

It is important that officiating is not just seen as a job, but a role involving the promotion of the sport.

the February/March period was very hectic period with the championships outlined below as well as various specialist group meets (AV throwers, High Velocity, rare Air and Vic Milers Club) on various dates and at various venues.

the major commitment for the majority of our officials was the Shield Competition conducted at venues in Melbourne and also country Victoria, which meant many kilometres of travel and hours of work.

Athletics Victoria officials were well represented at national Championships held interstate.

We highlight the same issues each season for major state level meets:

Withdrawals of officials after initial advice of being available.

Actual advice of appointments could have been earlier so as to avoid disappointment of not being appointed and thus sourcing replacements. In several instances, these were influenced by late alterations to the timetables.

endeavouring to meet requests for specific appointments to assist with the practical component of formal qualifications.

every official who made themselves available and advised us was appointed.

unfortunately, some officials were not appointed simply because we were not advised of their availability. We can only appoint those we know are available and publish the appointments accordingly. By the same token, we thank and are grateful to those officials who offered or volunteered to assist at major meets “at the last minute”.

A check of the registration records for 2008‑09, indicates 316 were registered (including dual categories) as officials, yet for the major meets such as All Schools or Victorian Championships, we continued to struggle to get 70‑80 officials to initially nominate to do so. With some persuasion we managed to get approximately 80‑90. Why such a low participation rate?

What measures can we implement to encourage others to share the experience?

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OfficialsrICHArD lAWYSZ, SuB CoMMIttee MAnAGer, oFFICIAlS

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OfficialsrICHArD lAWYSZ, SuB CoMMIttee MAnAGer, oFFICIAlS

Thanks&Acknowledgements

Don Blyth, AV officials Development officer, whose role has improved the profile and support structure for officials

Michelle James for her assistance with championships

the other members of the officials Sub Committee: ronda Jenkins, Danny Mc Grady, Diane lowden, lorraine Morgan, lynda Gusbeth and Ian Sinclair, together with AV staff members nick Honey and Jade Borella for their support and contribution within their own areas of expertise and also overall for the improvement in the structure and recognition of officiating expertise

Brian Moore for his continued assistance with selections for the start area officials

Diane lowden for coordinating the walk judges panels.

Athletics Victoria officials Sub Committee endeavoured to cover of all aspects of officiating, namely : education/development, recruitment, mentoring and social activities.

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the above highlights the depth and breadth of experience we have to conduct a successful athletic meeting. However, it also identifies the challenge to build on this strong foundation and nurture and mentor those who wish to be involved and those who may need a little encouragement to test themselves.

We may need to expand the mentoring program to give more officials the experience, exposure and confidence to officiate.

ChampionshipsConductedDuringSummerSeason2008September 12 – 13 pacific Schools Games Selection trials

September 29 – october 3 Australian university Games

november 7 – 8 Victorian All Schools Championships

november 22 ron Clarke Classic, Geelong

December 11 Zatopek Meet

2009January 24 – 26 Victorian Country Championships, Geelong

February 14 Shield Final

February 19 – 22 Victorian open/Youth Multis Championships

February 21 – 25 Australian Masters Games, Geelong

February 27 – March 1 Victorian Youth/open Multis Championships

March 7 peter norman Classic

March 28 – 29 Victorian Masters Championships

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Seminars&Examsofficials Seminars were conducted:

20/5/2008: level C out of Stadia

16/7/2008: level C throws

9/8/2008: Starters (Geelong)

5/11/2008: level B track

11/11/2008: level B Jumps

19/11/2008: level C Jumps

23/11/2008: level C General (Warrnambool)

25/11/2008: level B throws

7/12/2008: level C General designed primarily to assist little Athletics officials.

unfortunately, due to the congested calendar, we were not able to conduct the all encompassing AV officials’ seminar this year.

the following number of candidates sat exams:

level C papers Jumps(25), throws(39), track(16), out of Stadia(10)

level B papers Jumps(6), throws(11)

the challenge for these candidates is to challenge themselves, gain knowledge and experience through “doing the jobs” and also by seeking information and direction from our more qualified officials. Such approaches from our newer qualified officials should be seen as a compliment and a pathway to assist with Athletics Victoria succession planning and not as a threat. this will increase our base number of qualified officials.

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there is an ever increasing call upon officials’ services to officiate at schools meets and other AV events on week days and this provides excellent opportunities for appropriately qualified officials to be paid for their services.

this summer season, AV introduced a payment structure for our key officials (event supervisors) at the metropolitan venues Shield Competition with clubs providing club helpers. this approach was well received with officials accepting the responsibilities involved.

the Administrators/officials luncheon on 26/4/2009 was again a success and we thank Jade, Michelle, toby, Don and Matt for their work behind the scenes to make it so.

At the luncheon, the following officials were specifically recognized:

officials of the Year: pam noden and John Coleman

rookie official of the Year: Martyn Kibel

With regret, we record the passing of Harry Mason, our esteemed and widely respected technical Manager. the esteem in which Harry was held was evident by the very large numbers who attended his memorial service at his beloved Collingwood Athletic track. During the year, we also lost “Judy” patching, Grand old Man of the olympic Movement and ron lucardie AV life Member and dedicated supporter of the promotion of athletics in the latrobe Valley.

RichardLawyszSuB CoMMIttee MAnAGer, oFFICIAlS

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RecordsronDA JenKInS, SeleCtIon oFFICer

there was a significant increase in records across all the age groups, and many athletes bettered their own performances throughout the season bumping up this number. the records were also over a vast range of events as well, which is very promising for our future.

NumbersofNewRecordsSetin2008-09

StateMen StateWomen CountryMen CountryWomen

open 4 2 5 4

u20 7 8 5 3

u19 9 6 3 1

u18 2 2 2 1

u17 3 7 3 3

u16 3 8 3 2

u15 7 3 4 2

u14 3 15 11

u13 1 1

thanks to all those who supply me with results and information. Also to athletes, parents and coaches who advise me of their performances, as this ensures I don’t miss any potential records.

RondaJenkinsreCorDS oFFICer

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BroKen In 2008‑09Victorian RecordsMenSam Baines 110m Hurdles State u18 13.33 9/11/08Sam Baines 110m Hurdles State u18 13.28 4/12/08Callum Baker Shot put Country u13 13.20m 25/1/09Jackson Bews pole Vault Country u18,u19,u20 eQ op 4.60m 3/1/09Jackson Bews pole Vault Country u18, u19, u20 = 4.60m 24/1/09Jed Bews pole Vault Country u15 3.90m 8/11/08Damien Birkinhead Shot put State & Country u16 19.88m 25/10/08Damien Birkinhead Shot put State & Country u16 20.00m 9/11/08Damien Birkinhead Shot put State & Country u16 20.64m 4/12/08Damien Birkinhead Shot put State & Country u17 18.95m 17/1/09Damien Birkinhead Shot put State & Country u17 19.13m 17/1/09Damien Birkinhead Shot put State & Country u17 19.22m 17/1/09Collis Birmingham 10,000m State & Country open 27.29.43 24/4/09Brodie Cross pole Vault State u15 4.41m 3/12/08Brodie Cross pole Vault State u15 4.45m 15/1/09Henry Frayne triple Jump State u19 16.40m 10/7/08Henry Frayne triple Jump State u19 16.58m 11/12/08Henry Frayne long Jump State u19 & u20 7.99m 15/2/09Benn Harradine Discus State open 66.37m 22/5/08rob Hill pole Vault Country open 4.81m 24/1/09Craig Huffer 1500m Country u20 & u19 3.43.89 18/1/08Craig Huffer 1500m Country u20 3.42.23 11/12/08Craig Huffer 1500m Country u20 3.39.98 28/2/09Daniel Jackson 2000m Steeple Country u15 6.32.05 8/11/08Daniel Jackson 2000m Steeple State & Country u15 6.22.06 2/12/08Daniel Jackson 2000m Steeple State & Country u15 6.20.15 28/2/09Blake lucas pole Vault State u19 & u20 = 5.30m 28/2/09Blake lucas pole Vault State u19 & u20 = 5.30m 5/3/09Blake lucas pole Vault State u19 & u20 5.40m 7/3/09Blake lucas pole Vault State u19 & u20 5.45m 20/3/09Blake lucas pole Vault State u19 & u20 5.55m 28/3/09Daniel Martin 110m Hurdles State u19 & u20 13.60 3/4/09Craig Mottram 10,000m State & Country open 27.34.48 4/5/08Jason Santa 100m State u14 11.59 eQ 6/12/08Jason Santa 100m State u14 11.38 6/12/08Jack Sheridan 200m Hurdles State u15 26.35 8/11/08Jack Sheridan 200m Hurdles State u15 25.60 4/12/08Jack Sheridan 400m State u15 49.72 5/12/08Jared tallent 5000m Walk State & Country open 18.41.83 28/2/09Vic State team 4x100 relay State u14 46.17 5/12/08

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BroKen In 2008‑09Victorian Records

WomenAthletics Chilwell 4x100 relay Country u13 54.50 26/1/06Monique Cilione Javelin State u15 42.76m 2/12/08Georgie Clarke 5000m Country open 15.27.41 31/5/08Brigette Dillon 80m Hurdles State & Country u14 12.24 3/12/08Brigette Dillon 80m Hurdles State & Country u14 12.12 3/12/08Brigette Dillon 80m Hurdles State & Country u14 12.00 4/12/08Brigette Dillon 200m Hurdles State & Country u14 29.95 25/1/09Brigette Dillon 200m Hurdles State & Country u14 29.44 25/1/09Alana Green pole Vault Country u17,u18,u19,u20,op 3.31m 20/3/09rebecca Marchant triple Jump State u16 & u17 12.21m 7/11/08rebecca Marchant pole Vault State u16 3.70m 7/3/09paris McCathrion pole Vault State u14 3.15m 13/11/08paris McCathrion pole Vault State u14 3.25m 29/11/08paris McCathrion pole Vault State u14 3.30m 5/12/08paris McCathrion pole Vault State u14 3.35m 22/2/09paris McCathrion pole Vault State u14 3.41m 7/3/09paris McCathrion pole Vault State u14 & u15 3.50m 14/3/09paris McCathrion pole Vault State u14 & u15 =3.50m 4/4/09Kimberley Mulhall Discus State u18, u19, u20 52.78m 15/11/08Kimberley Mulhall Discus State u19 & u20 53.34m 31/1/09Kimberley Mulhall Discus State u19 & u20 53.86m 8/2/09Kimberley Mulhall Discus State u19 & u20 54.26m 28/2/09Kimberley Mulhall Discus State u19 & u20 54.84m 28/2/09Kimberley Mulhall Discus State u19 & u20 55.50m 3/4/09Jessica rothwell 10,000m Walk State & Country open & u20 44.44.22 9/7/08Jessica rothwell 5000m Walk State & Country open & u20 21.03.33 20/2/09Brooke Stratton long Jump State u16 6.06m 5/12/08Brooke Stratton triple Jump State u16 & u17 12.47m 16/1/09Brooke Stratton long Jump State u16 6.07m 21/2/09Brooke Stratton triple Jump State u16 & u17 12.62m 3/4/09rachel tallent 5000m Walk Country u16 & u17 24.59.01 24/1/09rachel tallent 5000m Walk State & Country u17 23.42.03 20/2/09Sophie taylor 200m State & Country u14 25.40 13/9/08Sophie taylor 100m Country u14 12.33 7/11/08Sophie taylor triple Jump Country u14 11.45m 8/11/08Sophie taylor triple Jump Country u14 11.50m 8/11/08Sophie taylor 200m State & Country u14 25.23 9/11/08Sophie taylor 200m State u14, Country u14, u15, u16 25.06 4/12/08Ashleigh Whittaker 100m State u16 & u17 11.83 5/12/08Vic State team 4x100 relay State u17 47.01 4/12/08Vic State team 4x200 relay State u16 & u17 1.40.03 6/12/08Vic State team 4x200 relay Country u15 1.46.05 11/12/08Vic State team 1000 Sprint Medley State u18 2.14.89 21/3/09

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StatisticspAul JeneS, StAtIStICIAn

2008‑09 was another seaon of improving performances. results are coming in quickly from the venues as well as interstate. I have been updating both national and state rankings on a weekly basis on the AV website.

I wish to thank the venue recorders and the many people who have passed on results and information.

Acknowledgements are listed on the ranking list.

PaulJenesStAtIStICIAn

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TracksKeVIn DYnAn, trACKS oFFICer

the olympic park track will be lost to the Association when the redevelopment of the Bob Jane Stadium in Albert park is completed. the present indications are that this will occur at the beginning of the 2011‑12 season.

It is understood that the existing olympic park track surface will not be installed in the new facility. It will be about five years old in 2011 and would have several years of use left in it. It is hoped that the surface will be taken up and made available for use at some other public facility in the State.

the older members may remember the promises made in the early 1950’s – “A Home for Amateur Sport for ever”. the Velodrome disappeared in two years, the olympic Swimming Centre was lost to the sport rather quickly and I suppose we have been lucky to still have the facility since 1954 and the many years before on the site of the rectangular Stadium. perhaps it should be renamed “Football park”?

there have been proposals to build a new track at Berwick and another at Melton. these proposals have stalled but have not been abandoned.

KevinDynantrACKS oFFICer

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Having set significant new bench marks last year, I am delighted to report that the 2008‑09 athletics year has seen further improvements in our measurable success indicators. there has been continued growth in membership numbers, membership satisfaction, competition participation rates and brand recognition. Athletics Victoria has also, once again, returned a solid financial surplus for the year.

the 2008 Cross Country and road racing (XCr) season has continued to go from strength to strength and has further enhanced its reputation as the leading out of stadium athletics competition in Australia. once again I offer congratulations to tim Crosbie and the XCr Sub Committee, as well as the Athletics Victoria office staff, for conducting and managing another successful XCr season.

the summer track and field season was again conducted with considerable success. Athletics Victoria’s state wide Shield competition is the only true multi venue club based competition in Australia. Although faced with many challenges, the competition continues to grow and further innovations and improvements will continue to be trialed. the Zatopek 10 was managed and promoted by Athletics Victoria for the second year and was considered an outstanding success. the Z:10 was only one of a number of specialist meets that were facilitated by AV and contributed to a busy and rewarding summer schedule. others included the Australian Masters Games, the Australian university Games, the pacific Schools Games selection trials, the ron Clarke and the peter norman Classics, as well as the usual suite of Athletics Victoria State Championships.

thanks to the many dedicated volunteers who offered their time, skill and passion to the planning and delivery of these athletics meets. In particular, thanks to Marian o’Shaughnessy, who chaired the Summer Competition Sub Committee, and to Khan Sharp, chair of the Championships and Special events Sub Committee. I would also like to make a special mention of David Armstrong, who has given many hundreds of hours producing Athletics Victoria’s internet video highlights packages that are branded as AthsVic tV. this wonderful and popular addition to our communication formats is greatly valued.

the biggest and most important specialist meet of the year did not have any direct input from Athletics Victoria, although there was a strong AV connection. the Beijing olympic Games took place during the year and I offer my congratulations to all the athletes who represented Australia. In particular I congratulate our athletics medal winners: Sally Mclellan, AV’s Jared tallent, and, (formerly!) AV’s, Steve Hooker.

Athletics Victoria was proud to continue its growth in membership. the impressive figure of a 4991 total membership represents a 20 year high for Athletics Victoria and is the largest membership of any Australian senior athletics State Sport organisation! nonetheless, we will be looking to break through the 5000 mark next year and continue our growth in the following years. this year we also introduced a new membership category that takes into account the many fun runners who compete in Victoria’s major fun runs. the recreational runner category accounted for a further 13076 Athletics Victoria members, enabling us to report a total annual membership of 18067!

nICK HoneY, CHIeF eXeCutIVe oFFICer, AtHletICS VICtorIA

From theChief Executive

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Financially, Athletics Victoria has again performed well. Although not matching last year’s record surplus figure, a surplus of $32,105 will be recorded. this is the last year that Athletics Victoria is to receive the specialist funding from the State Government as a result of the Commonwealth Games. Subsequently, budgeted revenues for the 09‑10 year will be reduced and the challenge is to continue running our development programs on smaller budgets. thanks to Athletics Victoria’s Accounts Manager, Sharon russell and treasurer, eric Sigmont, for their valuable financial administration and advice during the year.

As I reported last year, Athletics Victoria continues to build strong and productive alliances with other athletics bodies. the Masters (Victorian Masters Association), the pros (Victorian Athletic league), the Victorian little Athletics Association and our national governing body, Athletics Australia, have all worked co‑operatively and productively with Athletics Victoria at different times throughout the year in order to provide better products and services to our customers.

the move of the home of the sport away from olympic park to the State Sports Centre’s trust precinct at Albert park continues to progress. Athletics Victoria is still negotiating and planning with various participating departments of the State Government in an effort to secure the best deal possible for the sport, for both the short and long

terms. I thank Board member Brett Moore for the many hours he has contributed towards this project. His skills and insights have proven invaluable.

Finally, I would like to thank the members of the Athletics Victoria Board and, especially our president, Anne lord. these individuals’ enthusiastic and sound advice, governance and direction have enabled the organization to move forward and achieve success in a range of areas. In particular, I would like to thank Vice president russell Clowes for the enormous amount of work he has undertaken under considerable pressure, to project manage the It Scoring project. I also commend Board member, Ian Jones, for his knowledge, skill and diplomacy in re‑writing and successfully introducing a new constitution for Athletics Victoria.

thank you also to the dedicated AV staff members who work above and beyond the call of duty for our sport. their remarkable efforts and skills often go unrecognized, yet are vital to the everyday success of Victorian athletics.

I look forward to another successful year of operation and growth for Athletics Victoria in 2009‑10.

NickHoneyCHIeF eXeCutIVe oFFICer 27

ProgramsJADe BorellA, proGrAM MAnAGer

In 2007 Athletics Victoria developed a unique and exciting program aimed at “Moving Athletics Forward” in the Victorian Secondary School system. the program is supported by the State Government and the “Go For Your life” campaign. Along with coaching services provider, trakstart, Athletics Victoria made available a number of different athletics services to educate schools about athletics and provide them with a clear pathway to involvement in the popular Schools Knockout Competition. the services were offered free to government schools and at a heavily subsidised rate to non government schools, to ensure access for all.

Moving Athletics Forward programs:

AtHS 2 Go (teacher education Course)

Athletic team training Sessions/regional training Sessions

Schools Knockout Competition

the programs are designed to:

ensure athletics is a focus at schools

Build school/team morale

educate staff and students

promote healthy, fun extra curricular activities

provide local, State and national competition

Appeal to all levels of experience and ability

our schools database was compiled in 2007 and much time has been spent maintaining it. every school in Victoria has received information about the MAF program and its benefits and targeted mailouts and follow up phone calls happened region by region in the lead up to School Knockout competitions.

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2008/09 was an extension of the MAF program conducted in 2007/08. once again we utilized the ACHper conference to launch MAF. each of the 1300 delegates received MAF paraphernalia and booking forms. We also manned an information booth and distributed show bags over the 2 day conference. For the second year running we had over 40 teachers taking part in the ACHper Aths 2 Go coaching course.

either as a refresher or an introduction to the sport of athletics, Athletics Victoria offered teachers a 3 hour Aths 2 Go coaching course. the Aths 2 Go sessions were held at local athletics tracks to ensure they were relevant and valuable for teachers. A perfect professional learning session, as expert coaches were in attendance to provide ongoing athletic knowledge and pass on specific tips for preparing students for the Schools Knockout Competition and other school athletics meets.

the Aths 2 Go courses continued to receive extremely positive feedback from participants. the course, certified by Athletics Australia, is both informative and practical in its delivery. upon completion each participant received an Aths 2 Go resource and accompanying DVD. the appeal of this course is that it caters to a broad cross‑section of people. In addition to qualified teachers, the Aths 2 Go course was also conducted for student teachers at two universities and at a local track for Athletics Victoria club members. In 2008 346 had completed the Aths 2 Go course – 132 teachers, 106 student teachers and 62 club members.

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the Athletic team training and regional sessions allowed schools to gain access to expert coaching sessions. these 1 hour sessions were tailored to suit schools individual requirements. Well over 100 Athletic team training sessions were conducted at over 50 schools from May 2008 – April 2009.

there was also a strong emphasis on coaching throughout regional Victoria. Sessions were held in Ballarat, Colac, euroa, Gippsland, Hamilton, Hastings, loddon, Mallee, Mildura, numurkah, Warragul and Western Victoria.

Schools Knockout competition provided schools throughout Victoria with the challenge of a unique track and field competition that promoted team spirit and increased participation. 8 rounds of Schools Knockout were conducted (4 regional, 4 metropolitan), culminating with the Victorian and Australian finals. over 150 teams from 64 schools participated. We had 27 new schools to the program, 12 of these government schools and 6 progressed to the Victorian Final.

positive initiatives from 2007 were continued:

Show bags & giveaways – every participant received an Athletics Victoria show bag which was very popular with the athletes.

offered free coaching clinics (Athletic team training sessions) for schools in the lead up to their SKo round.

offered free AtHS 2 Go coaching course (structured around SKo events) for teachers. A resource and DVD was provided to all participants.

Coaches were present at all regional Knockout rounds to assist teachers/team managers. this initiative worked extremely well for new schools and schools that had utilised earlier Athletic team training sessions.

DJ played music at Metropolitan SKo rounds which was very popular with the athletes.

the best officials available were handpicked and were encouraging to all athletes.

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the Schools Knockout competition continues to grow. 7 of the 8 rounds were programmed for term 3, giving schools more time to prepare and focus on team training and coaching sessions in the lead up to SKo. We trialed a “regional road trip” to the Mallee region, in late 2008. our coaches spent three days in the region and local schools took part in the Athletic team training sessions, an Aths 2 Go course (for teachers) and finished off with a mini‑Knockout competition. From this, a combined team will be selected to compete at the Bendigo Schools Knockout. As this initiative was extremely successful, more regional road trips will be conducted in 2009.

every school that utilises a component of the MAF program is encouraged to enter at least one team in the Schools Knockout. We have also made it compulsory for schools, in their second year of the MAF program, to enter at least two teams in the Knockout competition. We continued to fund appropriate schools to send teams to Schools Knockout regional rounds (and state finals where relevant). Bus transport, entry fees and replacement teacher costs were also subsidized by Athletics Victoria.

thank you to all involved in the 2008/09 MAF programs, in particular the staff from trakstart: naomi Symington, Chris Symington, peter Van Miltenburg and Jill taylor and all of their coaches who have worked tirelessly over the last 12 months promoting athletics in Victoria.

JadeBorellaproGrAM MAnAGer

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ClubDevelopment

Membership2008‑09 was once again a year of growth for Athletics Victoria. the following table outlines the growth trend in competing members over the past 5 years:

Open U20 U18 U16 U14 Total2004–05 1654 233 443 572 347 32492005–06 1805 239 534 659 331 35682006–07 1781 279 582 656 368 36662007–08 1924 329 601 669 452 39752008–09 1979 374 609 723 569 4254

In percentage terms this represents a growth rate of 6.9% for the year, which coming on top of 5 successive years of growth is a good result for the Athletics Victoria.

the main drivers for growth have come from the u14 & u16 age groups, indicating that the Dual Athlete scheme is providing a good flow through of athletes from little Athletics. With AV clubs and athletes becoming more aware of the scheme, the uptake of Dual Athletes more than doubled from the previous year.

the Victorian little Athletics Association has also been very proactive in promoting the involvement of their members with Athletics Victoria. With a number of joint initiatives and the relaxing of uniform regulations for VlAA athletes competing at AV events, a clear and easy transition path is now being established.

there are also strong indicators that Masters age athletes are increasing in number, leading to more viable competition in both the track and Field and road/Cross Country events. our strong ties to the Victorian Masters Athletics club has been very productive with the second year of the combined VMA/AV track and Field Championships being a strong and vibrant competition.

2008‑09 saw the introduction of a new membership type for Athletics Victoria – recreational runners. these members are drawn from Athletics Australia’s “running Australia” program and comprises runners who have taken part in events like the Melbourne Marathon and Great Australian run and agreed to be part of running Australia.

this new category added 13,076 athletes to the Athletics Victoria database in 2008‑09. the ramifications of this are two fold – we can use these figures to more accurately assess the size of our sport in Victoria and they are now a group we can send targeted marketing information to encourage awareness and increased participation in Athletics Victoria events.

ChurnRatesBy definition our churn rate is the percentage of athletes who do not re‑register from one season to the next. In effect these become lost members who for the most part leave our club based structure never to return.

In determining the churn rate, figures for retained members and new members are derived which allows an accurate assessment for how many members have not registered the following year.

tIM CroSBIe, MAtt GrIFFIn & Don BlYtH

Development

MembershipbyAgeGroup

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over the past three years the churn rate sits at 25.3%. the individual figures for each year are:

2006‑07 – 27.0% 2007‑08 – 23.5% 2008‑09 – 25.6%

Based on the average churn rate for the three years being applied, Athletics Victoria can expect to lose 1,075 athletes registered in 2008‑09 for the 2009–10 year.

When sub divided into Age groupings, the figures show an alarming loss of athletes in our under 16 (15 yo & below) category. under 16 males in particular have a historical churn rate that is consistently over 50% with the comparative female figure tracking some 8% better in the mid to high 40% range.

under 20 churn rates are considerably better, normally sitting between 10% and 20%, with a 3 year average of 15.7%. It must be noted however that the base numbers are lower than for the younger age category. this leads to the conclusion that once we have lost the under 16 athletes they are unlikely to return.

open Age churn rates are lower again with a 3 year average of 14.6%. traditionally the churn rate amongst open women is higher than that for open men, with the exception of 2006/07.

the table below details the relative churn rates for each age grouping and gender:

ChurnRatesbyAgeGrouping

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09

u16 Men 57.9% 56.7% 53.8%

u16 Women 50.9% 48.0% 45.4%

U16Total 54.4% 52.4% 49.7%

u20 Men 13.1% 20.0% 21.2%

u20 Women 15.7% 7.4% 12.1%

U20Total 14.2% 15.1% 17.5%

open Men 17.4% 9.3% 12.7%

open Women 16.8% 15.3% 21.8%

OpenTotal 17.3% 11.0% 15.3%

overall Men 29.4% 25.7% 28.0%

overall Women 25.6% 22.2% 24.1%

OverallTotal 27.0% 23.5% 25.6%

A reasonable level of consistency shows through the table, meaning that although the churn rate has not risen, it is also obvious that despite concerted effort to retain athletes there is little evidence to suggest that this is happening.

ClubStatisticsthe overall growth in competing members obviously reflects positively in club statistics. the following table demonstrates how our clubs are continuing to develop and build:

Number&SizeofClubs

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09

TotalClubs 63 62 62

Clubs with 100+ members

9 13 15

Clubs with 200+ members

0 1 3

In 2008‑09 38 clubs grew their competing members, 2 clubs remained the same and 22 clubs declined in numbers. of the declining clubs 50% lost 5 members or less, which although is not a good result for these clubs, it does not indicate any alarming trends.

In numeric terms, our top ten growing clubs were: Athletics essendon +47 (26.0% growth), eaglehawk YMCA +29 (38.2% growth), Croydon Athletic Club +26 (108.3% growth), Maccabi +23 (176.9% growth), Doncaster +21 (16.3% growth), Western Athletics +21 (16.9% growth), Knox Athletics +20 (10.9% growth), Wellington Athletics +20 (285.7% growth), Athletics Chilwell +19 (22.9% growth) and old Melburnians AC +19 (31.7% growth).

one new club was formed in 2008‑09 with Casey Cardinia Athletics commencing competition for the track and Field season. In their first year of operation Casey Cardinia attracted 29 athletes across a range of age groups and went as far as making the AV Shield Final in a number of Divisions.

the De la Salle old Collegians club folded part way through the year, whilst the northern Comets, a club primarily set up to provide registration coverage for young athletes travelling for certain competitions in the uSA was not reaffiliated.

Despite the fact that the majority of clubs are growing, a number of clubs continue to face issues that challenge their ability to survive. Athletics Victoria are working with each of these clubs in an effort to identify and resolve issues that may impact their ability to grow.

TimCrosbieCluB DeVelopMent MAnAGer 31

Coachesthe past twelve months have witnessed significant developments in the Victorian coaching structure. registration numbers have again increaased as have the number of coaches undertaking formal coaching qualifications via our coach education provider, the Australian track and Field Coaches Association (AtFCA). Club coaching structures have continued to be a focus and Athletics Victoria has been able to assist by funding coaches recommended by their club to undertake the level 1 and 2 course as well as provide a level of support to coaches furthering their education at levels 3, 4 and 5.

the major change to the coaching structure in Victoria was the introduction of Athletics Australia’s Accredited Athletics Coach system. this has meant that all coaches registered with Athletics Victoria are formally recognised if they are an AtFCA member, have undertaken an AtFCA course in the past four years, or meet the requirements of the AA recognition of Current Competency tool.

CoachEducationIn 2008/09 Athletics Victoria and the Victorian branch of AtFCA continued to build on the breakthroughs made in the previous twelve months. the AtFCA conducted 4 level 1 and 2 level 2 coach accreditation courses in Victoria with record attendance numbers of 179 level 1 coaches entering the system and 67 coaches upgrading their accreditation to level 2. once again accreditation courses were held in the country regions with level 1 courses being conducted in Ballarat and Geelong and a level 2 course in Bendigo. Athletics Victoria continued to do the promotion of the courses to the wider community, as well as the photocopying of all course material for the participants. Special acknowledgment goes to Victorian AtFCA branch Course Co‑ordinator Bryan neighbour for his efforts in continually improving the level 1 and 2 courses and supporting Athletics Victoria in our bid to provide ongoing coach education.

Along side the level 1 and 2 courses Athletics Victoria continued to encourage ongoing coach education via a series of forums and workshops.

tIM CroSBIe, MAtt GrIFFIn & Don BlYtHDevelopment

In conjunction with the Victorian branch of the AtFCA three large workshops were run offering 14 different topics covering all event groups. these sessions were well attended with an average of 32 coaches patronising each session. As well as these sessions two workshops were held in conjunction with Athletics Australia, a sprints question and answer forum with Jamaican coach Steve Francis and a pole Vault workshop with renowned coach Alan launder.

Athletics Victoria continued to increase communication avenues to coaches, using the growing links with schools and little Athletics. With the increased coaching activity over the past twelve months it suggests that this promotion is proving very effective.

CoachServicesAthletics Victoria again had the services of two Coaching Services officers. Mark ladbrook and Steven Cain filled the part time positions which provided assistance with coach and athlete development and a presence at as many school and regional meets as possible to promote Athletics Victoria. they also attended regional clinics and training sessions in Ballarat, Geelong and Gippsland.

CoachesinSchoolsProgramthe coaches in schools program continues to be utilised by many schools in the metropolitan area. Schools contact Athletics Victoria with requests for suitable coaches with AV sourcing and appointing the coach. this year 11 school groups called on the skills and knowledge of Athletics Victoria’s accredited coaches to prepare training schedules and sessions for their athletics team. Alongside the Aths2Go program, the coaches in schools program has proven to be a valuable channel for promotion and awareness of Athletics Victoria and our events.

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AthleteDevelopmentthe development pathway and support structure for emerging u14 to u23 athletes continues to evolve and promote education and long term Athlete Development. Athlete numbers in both the AVIS Development Squad and the Future Squad were higher than previous years and this growth also reflected in the number of athletes who qualified and competed at the 2008 pacific School Games incorporating the Australian All Schools track and Field Championships. Victoria sent over 320 athletes to this event in the u14 to u20 age categories compared with just over 300 in 2007. thanks go out to nick Bowden, Clare Burton, Steve Cain, tim Crosbie, Michelle James and leana tilley for the wonderful job they did managing the Athletics Victoria team.

AVIS–08DevelopmentSquadthe AVIS‑08 Development Squad provided talented young athletes with education on a wide range of relevant topics as well as the opportunity to train with their peers in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. the squad also allowed for athlete coaches to network and share ideas.

Athletes aged between 12 and 18 were selected on the basis of achieving performance standards similar to those required to compete at the national Championships. All athletes received a t‑shirt as recognition for their inclusion to the squad which saw excellent participation numbers with 102 athletes selected for the duration of the program.

Six squad days were conducted between May and September incorporating practical and theory sessions led by head coaches Mark ladbrook and Steve Cain. the focus of the program was to promote long term athlete development and educate athletes on the importance of preparing for the future. parents and coaches were also invited to attend the sessions to foster an open and sharing relationship between like minded coaches as well as recognise the role they play in the development of junior athletes.

FutureSquadthe Future Squad caters for athletes in the u20 and u23 age brackets who are achieving a high level of performance. there are two methods by which athletes may be selected to the AV Future Squad program; 1‑ via right of performance measured against the objective criteria and 2‑ via selectors discretion.

Future Squad athletes receive a level of funding assistance to aide attending and competing in national Championships and other major events. A level of funding for massage and rehabilitation is also set aside. other benefits include Athletics Victoria membership for athlete and coach, entry into Victorian State Championships, access to basic testing, screening and education sessions and an allowance for the development of the athletes personal coach. there is also an International team selection bonus toward team levies. All funding is to be approved by AV Future Squad program co‑ordinator.

the 2008 squad finished the year off strongly with 10 athletes capturing national titles, 9 representing Australia and one, Jess rothwell, graduating to the VIS. Currently the 2009 squad has seen 4 athletes selected to represent Australia and 7 win national titles.

the 2009 squad is as follows: liam Adams, elise Clayton, Matthew Coloe, Melissa Duncan, Henry Frayne, Molly Grau, Jess Gulli, Chris Hamer, Craig Huffer, regan lamble, Blake lucas, Scott Mace, Daniel Martin, Bianca Maurer, Kim Mulhall, Meggan o’riley, Andrew peska, Alex rowe and Kane Wille.

Special thanks goes to Bill Gibbins for generously sponsoring the squad and to Derek Clayton for his involvement in promoting the initiative. thank you also to SKInS for supplying a full set of apparel to each athlete in the squad and Mark ladbrook for providing screening tests.

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AthleteDevelopmentClinicsover the past twelve months a number of very successful athlete clinics were conducted targeting young enthusiastic school aged students. the highlight of these clinics were the three Craig Mottram sessions conducted throughout regional Victoria. Craig spoke to groups from Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong, sharing his experiences as an international athlete before taking the students for a training session. the three sessions were well attended with at least 60 athletes per clinic. other clinics included the Geelong Super Aths day where over 30 children had the opportunity to train with Australian representatives such as Scott Martin, Alwyn Jones and Kelly Cartwright. two sessions hosted by Ballarat Harriers focusing on jumps and throws were held in Ballarat with twelve in attendance and a very successful clinic for school children was held at Casey Fields for the Casey Cardinia region which saw over 30 children attend the 2hr session.

IndigenousDevelopmentProgramthe annual funding from Sport and recreation Victoria was this year put towards athlete and coach registration and education with direction from Athletics Australia.

MattGriffinDeVelopMent oFFICer

OfficialsWith increased membership and an expanded range of competitions, the demands on our officials and volunteers were high in 2008/9. Apart from our normal Shield Competition and State Championships, we also conducted two additional major events – Australian university Games and Australian Masters Games. Increasingly, schools are using the services of our officials to conduct their school carnivals, both track and field and cross country.

MAtt GrIFFIn, Don BlYtH & tIM CroSBIe Development

As in previous years the voluntary officials rose to the challenge and contributed many hours of work to ensure that athletes and students enjoyed top quality competition.

recruiting new and more officials continued to be a challenge and some success was achieved mainly from amongst the clubs and parents of athletes. part of the challenge was also to retain our existing officials and encourage them to take on new challenges.

the Association’s education officer, richard lawysz, did an outstanding job in travelling to various parts of the State to conduct education courses for new and existing officials. It was encouraging to see a number of level C officials upgrade their qualifications by undertaking level B exams.

to provide officials with new and increased challenges, the Association’s policy of rotating roles at major meets continued. this policy added to the range of skills of our officials and provided us with the basis of succession planning in future years.

A new Shield Competition officiating plan was introduced in the metropolitan regions this year. under the plan, the Association appointed and paid the key officials. In return for their payment, the key officials were required to prepare weekly reports, to manage events and educate and train the club helpers assigned to each event. under this plan, a number of club helpers were identified as having potential to become qualified officials.

officials continued to be recognized for their efforts through a range of programs.

I thank the members of the officials Sub‑Committee for their time, support and advice during the year.

to our wonderful group of officials, thank you once again for a job well done.

DonBlythoFFICIAlS & VolunteerS DeVelopMent oFFICer

34

35

AllSchoolsXCRSeriesthe All Schools Cross Country relays saw an 11% increase in team entries, predominately across the u18 boys and u20 girls divisions. Marcellin College and ruyton Girls School continued their dominance over the boys and girls championships, while Haileybury made it three in a row claiming the Co‑educational Championship.

numbers continued to grow across the shorter distance of the schools road relay event at la trobe university, as we welcomed 14 new schools and a record high of over 270 teams.

2008 saw the All Schools Cross Country Championships remain united with the AV Cross Country Championships in yet another successful competition at Bundoora park.

Although we were once again hindered by technical difficulties which affected the presentation of medals, trophies and overall pennants, the vibe amongst the athletes remained positive throughout the day

Ballarat Grammar was out in force to defend their 2007 Co‑educational Championship and managed to claim back to back victories; while Marcellin College & ruyton Girls Schools took out the boys and girls championships respectively, securing both schools a clean sweep of the Schools XCr events.

AllSchoolsTrackRelaysthe All Schools track relays were considerably down on the 2007 season by just over 20%. this was due to the extensive number of competitions on offer from AV and ApS during this period, as demonstrated by the fact that a number of the larger schools could only commit to one of the two day program. the pacific School Games team trials were regrettably scheduled four days after the second day of competition, a clash that was unavoidable due to the limited availability of olympic park. the pacific Schools Games trials were heavily supported as over 960 athletes competed in an attempt to secure their place in the Victorian team. Melbourne Grammar took the Boys overall Championship, while Caulfield Grammar secured their second consecutive victory in the Girls overall Championship.

AllSchoolsTrack&FieldChampionshipsthe 2008 track & Field Championships were combined as one competition, the u12, u13 and u20 divisions were dropped from the program and a viable competition across the u14‑u18 divisions was formed. the newly established two and a half day competition catered for over 770 athletes who competed within 1,795 event entries. Although this appears to be lower than the 2007 participation rate, with the merger of the competitions no longer allowing athletes to compete on both weekends and the Victorian team already selected at the pacific School Games trials, the All Schools track & Field competition did not lead to anything this year and was viewed as a pB meet by the majority of competing athletes.

CompetitionMICHelle JAMeS, CoMpetItIon MAnAGer

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PacificSchoolGamesTrialsIn 2008 the national All Schools conducted their championships in conjunction with the pacific School Games over an extensive eight day program in Canberra. As a result of the merger, Athletics Victoria was required to submit our team earlier than usual and therefore a last minute selection trial was scheduled. With the only available and suitable weekend in early September, this put enormous pressure on the participating athletes to be able to attain the qualifying standards two months earlier than normal. With over 2260 entries from 960 athletes a strong 320 member team was selected to represent Victoria.

I would like to thank all of the officials who endured this long and intensive program. It was two very long and arduous days and your time and effort was very much appreciated.

XCR’08Seriesonce again the XCr series produced a continuous and steady growth rate ‑ an increase of 4.7% on the previous year’s competitor numbers! Although there was a slight decline in participation at the lardner park 8km, the positive feedback from all athletes who attempted the classic course that was riddled with challenging hills, fences and ditches, suggests that this number will grow for 2009.

It was great to see a new era of premiership clubs coming through; congratulations to the newly formed South Coast Athletics Club, within their debut year taking out the Men’s Division 6 and Women u20 premierships. Box Hill broke a very long drought conquering the Men’s Division 1 premiership, as Knox Division 1 women’s team defended their 2007 triumph in style, claiming back to back victories.

It was encouraging to see another two country clubs break into division 1; Bendigo region pulled themselves together to progress into the men’s, while traralgon advanced in the women’s.

thank you to all of the clubs who assisted us with course set‑up/pack‑up and yummy canteens, your time and effort is vital to the successful outcome of each competition. Also, thanks to all of our officials, club helpers and in particular tony Williams, as Competition Director.

ShieldCompetitionDuring the 2008/09 Shield Season AV released a set of athletics swap cards. the cards were of Victorian athletes who had competed at the 2008 Beijing olympic Games. there were 18 standard cards plus 7 rare gold holographic cards to collect. packs of cards were distributed to all junior athletes who attended the Shield Competition each round. the swap cards were also dispersed at a variety of additional AV and VlAA meets across the summer period in an attempt to entice new athletes to attend the Shield Competition. the elite athletes made appearances at a number of shield rounds throughout the season signing their cards, with the majority returning to their home region.

unfortunately the 2008/09 Shield Season was heavily affected by the changing weather conditions. A number of rounds were cancelled or postponed due to excessive heat and others due to rain! this caused many of the regions to reschedule rounds, mostly to mid week twilight meets which affected numerous athletes in attaining the higher eligibility requirements to compete at their region and shield finals.

With the release of the new openScore program came a number of technological problems which caused headaches for all athletes, team managers and clubs. It seemed like a never ending battle in ensuring results were correct so that clubs were aware of their athlete’s eligibility and ladder position. Although the program was still not 100% at the end of the 2008/09 Shield competition there had been significant improvements made throughout the season by program creators tudor Holton and Craig Mahony. tudor and Craig will continue to iron out the pending issues over the XCr period to ensure that the openScore program is up and running for next season. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the region scorers for their immense effort and patience throughout the season

the Shield Final competition was considered a success. Although some clubs were confused about the eligibility of some of their athletes, the overall competition on the day ran very well. Allan Mathews put a great deal of time and effort in dealing with the local council to ensure the venue would be suitable for the program, primarily, the installation of a new hammer cage. As a result of Allan’s hard work the Meadowglen facility is now a viable Shield venue for the north West region

37

SpecialistMeetsA series of specialist groups were formed for the 2008/09 summer season, to individually cater primarily for the elite/semi elite athletes within their disciplines. the four groups met regularly throughout the season and were managed by committees made up of coaches and athletes with the full support of AV. All meets were conducted with the necessary qualified officials to give the athletes a higher level of competition and the chance to achieve national qualifying standards.

the High Velocity Club provided sprinters, hurdlers and horizontal jumpers with the opportunity to participate in fast paced event specific races. All races were graded to ensure that athletes of similar abilities competed against each other and pushed one another to achieve pB performances.

Athletes specialising in pole Vault and High Jump were accommodated for by the rare Air Club, with five meets conducted over the summer period including three starting heights at each event.

AV throwers covered Shot put, Discus, Javelin and Hammer, originally scheduling three meets for the season and conducting an extra two as a result of athlete demand.

the Vic Milers Club who were already established, aligned themselves with AV and provided graded competition for all athletes focused on middle distance

MICHelle JAMeS, CoMpetItIon MAnAGerCompetition

VictorianCountryTrack&FieldChampionshipsthe rotation of the event around Victoria, saw Geelong host the 2009 Country track & Field Championships, receiving record numbers in a highly organised three day program. A total of 644 competing athletes smashed the previously held record (Bendigo 2007) by 28%, with the event entries exceeding 2260, an increase of 26% on Albury 2008.

once again the Australian Defence Force were in attendance with 15 athletes across 51 entries, growing their participation rate by 25%

the country clubs continue to provide a high level of team spirit and camaraderie amongst themselves, creating a strong social atmosphere which has assisted in the competitions overall growth.

Congratulations to Athletics Chilwell who won the Men’s overall Championship, while eaglehawk took out the Women’s and were premiers in the prestigious Margaret Saunders Cup.

I would like to thank the Geelong loC and all attending officials for their hard work in producing a great event, with special mention to Anula Costa, Beth Bauer and Yvonne Glover for their invaluable support within the administration area and to richard lawysz as Competition Manager for his direction and timely running of the program.

38

VictorianTrack&FieldChampionships100 Victorian little Athletic competitors, an increase of 40%, added value to the Youth Championships for the second year in a row. In an attempt to bridge the gap between little Athletics and AV senior athletics, the VlAA competitors were once again treated to a range of guest speakers, expert coaching and photo opportunities with Victoria’s elite athletes.

Improved communication with clubs and members was instrumental in achieving excellent entry numbers for the open & u20 track & Field Championships. We did invite clubs to erect banners, flags etc. to engage themselves in a sense of team spirit and build the atmosphere within the Championships; however very few clubs chose to accept this invitation.

Additionally we were unable to maintain the soaring increase of AWD entries from last year, with numbers falling by over 72%.

VictorianMastersTrack&FieldChampionshipsthe feedback from the previous Masters Championships was addressed by moving the championships to a smaller more intimate venue and ensuring all athletes wore coloured bibs to determine their individual age divisions. the concept of one medal worked well, allowing presentations to run more efficiently, although not completely hassle free and with entry numbers increasing by 5% the overall championship continues to be a success. I believe that the combination of our Masters Championships with the Victorian Masters Association provides a stronger competition for all of our overage athletes, additionally allowing them to compete in five year age brackets and use their correct implement height and weight.

VictorianTrack&FieldRelay/Multi-EventChampionshipsFor the second consecutive year the Victorian track & Field relay Championships were combined with the alternate individual track & Field Championships. once again we found that the amalgamation provided a great atmosphere throughout the program and provided a high level of competition for athletes of all ages, allowing all family members to be involved. unfortunately the field relays were barely supported, with only 28 teams spread across the 12 events, forcing the Championship Committee to review their viability for the coming season.

Despite splitting the Multi‑event Championships across our two prominent championship weekends, the entries remained stagnant with 67 athletes across the 14 events.

I would like to thank all of our officials, volunteers and club helpers for their time, effort and expertise throughout the season. A big thank you to Alan and Yvonne Glover, Marg Dunbar, David Armstrong, richard lawysz and ronda Jenkins as their continued support and commitment is highly valued.

thank you to tim Crosbie (XCr), Marian o’Shaughnessy (Summer), Khan Sharp (Championships) and their devoted committees who work extremely hard to better the sport.

last but certainly not least, thank you to all of the AV office staff who have assisted me throughout the year, their contribution and ongoing support is very much appreciated.

MichelleJamesCoMpetItIon MAnAGer

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VictorianXCRChampionships

GeorgeSaundersTrophyChampion Female Winter Athleterenate Wyss (Muu)

LolaDownesTrophyWomen open Champion Athlete renate Wyss (Muu)

AthleticsVictoriaTrophyChampion Male Winter Athletelee troop (Ger)

StewartFraserTrophyWomen u20 Champion Athletelisa Stanton Smith (KSB)

JoanBerettaTrophyWomen u18 Champion AthleteSamantha Carberry (Don)

GeorgeThomasMemorialTrophyMen u18 Champion Athleteryan Geard (Ate)

JoyceDavisTrophyWomen u16 Champion Athleteerin rayner (Ate)

JoeCarmodyTrophyMen u16 Champion AthleteSamuel Quirk (SCA)

FrankChapmanTrophyWomen u14 Champion AthleteSamanth prime (KnA)Courtney Scott (WeS)

BendigoBuildingSocietyTrophyMen u14 Champion AthleteZachary rouse (MpA)

LaviniaPetrieAwardWomen 40+ Champion AthleteMichelle Bleakley (ApS)

NeilRyanAwardMen 40+ Champion AthleteJames Atkinson (AWA)

MargaretDunbarAwardWomen 45+ Champion AthleteJeanette Chapman (Col)

ChrisWardlawAwardMen 45+ Champion AthleteMichael McIntyre (KSB)

ColleenStephensAwardWomen 50+ Champion AthleteStacey Van Dueren (CoB)

TrevorVincentAwardMen 50+ Champion Athletepeter Gaffney (KSB)

PeterBattrickAwardMen 55+ Champion Athletepaul twining (Col)

IanUptonAwardMen 60+ Champion AthleteKevin Solomon (rIC)

LillianNevilleTrophyCross Country teams ChampionsKnox Athletics

EddieMooreTrophyMale 16K CC Championship lee troop (Ger)

JackBigginsTrophyMale 15K road ChampionshipClint perrett (SAn)

AVTrophyFemale 15K road Championshiprenate Wyss (Muu)

PhyllisAnderssonTrophyWomen u16 road relay teamAthletics essendon

MarkShilstonTrophyMale 12K CC Championshiplee troop (Ger)

HarrisonJonesTrophiesFemale open Handicap WinnerCorrie Van raaphorst (BYC)

Female u20 Handicap WinnerSadie plumb (SCA)

Female u16 Handicap Winner Kaylee turvey (Col)

AtHletICS VICtorIAXCR Awards

4040

MarionPattersonTrophyFemale Marathon ChampionshipMichelle Bleakley (ApS)

J.C.DraperMemorialTrophyMale 10K road Championshiplee troop (Ger)

S.C.ReevePerpetualTrophyMale 8K CC Championshiplee troop (Ger)

RonClarkeTrophyMale road relay ChampionshipBox Hill AC

RonClarkeTrophyFemale road relay ChampionshipGlenhuntly AC

XCRSchoolTrophies

JoanBerettaShieldFemale School CC total pointsruyton Girls School

GeoffWalkerTrophyMale School CC total pointsMarcellin College

RobbieMorganMorrisShieldCo‑educational School CC total pointsBallarat Grammar

LaTrobeUniversityTrophyGirls u18 School CC team ChampionsHaileybury College

LaTrobeUniversityTrophyBoys u18 School CC team ChampionsBallarat Grammar

WalkTrophies

BettyNewmanTrophyWomens Walking team CompetitionAthletics essendon

AvisRedmanTrophyu16 Most Improved GirlAyla Collins (MAl)

NormGobleTrophyMost points in Mens AV ChampionshipsAndre Jamieson (oSC)

TomDaintryTrophyBest u14 First Year Walkerebony Whiley (eAG)

4141

AtHletICS VICtorIASummer Awards

VictorianTrack&FieldChampionships

SirFrankBeaurepaireTrophyFemale open outstanding Championship AthleteJessica rothwell (eAG)

JohnParkMemorialCupMale open outstanding Championship AthleteAaron rouge‑Serret (Ate)

H.HHunterShieldMale open Club Championship AggregateAthletics essendon

StandardNewspapersShieldFemale Club Championship AggregateGlenhuntly AC

FemaleYouthAthleteoftheChampionshipAshleigh Whittaker (SAn)

MaleYouthAthleteoftheChampionshipDamien Birkenhead (Cor)

FemaleOp/U20AthleteoftheChampionshiptamsyn lewis (SAn)

MaleOp/U20AthleteoftheChampionshipAaron rouge‑Serret (Ate)

PhyllisCantwellShieldFemale open Club Championship AggregateSandringham AC

VAAU20ChampionshipFemale u20 Club Championship AggregateBox Hill AC

MabelRobinsonShieldFemale u18 Club Championship AggregateGlenhuntly AC

MabelMoadShieldFemale under 16/14 Club Championship AggregateGlenhuntly AC

PhyllisAkersCupFemale u18 outstanding Championship AthleteMargaret Satupai (GHY)

ExAthletesTrophyFemale u18 outstanding Championship performanceAshleigh Whittaker (SAn)

SirRaymondConnellyTrophyFemale u16 outstanding Championship AthleteMonica Brennan (DIV)

LadyConnellyTrophyFemale open nontitle AggregateBrittney Knee (KSB)

EmilyCrockettMemorialTrophyFemale open 100m ChampionAngela Byrt (GlG)

HectorHoganTrophyMale open 100m ChampionAaron rouge–Serret (eMH)

WHBrownMemorialTrophyMale open 1500m ChampionBrenton rowe (DKn)

FrankPBrownMemorialTrophy&RobFildesTrophyMale open Decathlon ChampionSteve Cain (StK)

HBSelbyTrophyFemale open Heptathlon Championtheodora Spathis (BoH)

AileenKennedyMemorialTrophyFemale u18 Multi event ChampionJessica Kaufman (GHY)

AileenKennedyMemorialTrophyFemale u16 Multi event Championtanya Higgs (eAG)

VAARelayShieldMale Club Championship AggregateDoncaster AC

DorisCarterTrophyFemale open 4x100m ChampionshipAthletics essendon

MaisieMcQuistonTrophyFemale u18 4x100m ChampionshipSandringham AC

LillianNevilleTrophyFemale u16 4x100m ChampionshipCroydon AC

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JessReingTrophyFemale u14 4x100m ChampionshipCroydon AC

L.C.MillsTrophyFemale open 4x400m Championshipringwood AC

EvelynMorrisTrophyFemale u18 4x400m ChampionshipKnox Athletics

DorisMulcahyCupFemale u16 4x400m ChampionshipDoncaster AC

PatMcDonnellTrophyFemale u14 4x400m ChampionshipCroydon AC

GeorgeKnottTrophy5000m track Walk ChampionshipChristopher erickson (Ate)

CountryTrack&FieldChampionships

MargaretSaundersCountryCupCountry Club Championship Aggregateeaglehawk AC

VWAAAExAthletesCupFemale Country Club Championship Aggregateeaglehawk AC

DavidKittMemorialTrophyMale Country Club Championship AggregateAthletics Chilwell

JoyceLockyerMemorialShieldoverall performance/encouragement Field eventsSophie taylor (eAG)

AustraliaDayAwardsFemale Athlete of the MeetSarah Byron (BYC)

Male Athlete of the Meetnigel Skurrie (CHI)

StuartHunterMemorialShieldMost outstanding Athlete under 16nathan Krepp (SWA)

VictorianSchoolTrack&FieldTrophies

MaisieMcQuistonFoundationTrophyFemale Most outstanding ChampionshipSophie taylor (eAG)

ElmarE.RhanMemorialTrophyMale Best Championship performanceSam Baines (olM)

RelayShieldFemale School relay Championship AggregateCaulfield Grammar

RelayShieldMale School relay Championship AggregateMelbourne Grammar

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AtHletICS VICtorIA MeMBerSHIp BY CluBMembership Statistics

MetropolitanClubs ope

n M

ale

u20

u18

u16

u14

tota

l Mal

e

ope

n Fe

mal

e

u20

u18

u16

u14

tota

l Fem

ale

Athl

etes

Coa

ches

offi

cial

s

Asso

ciat

es

tota

l

Athletics essendon 71 13 16 18 14 132 36 7 14 19 20 96 228 12 17 16 271

Athletics nunawading 16 3 1 4 2 26 2 0 6 8 1 17 43 4 4 2 51

Athletics Waverley 47 5 7 5 2 66 19 5 6 5 1 36 102 5 8 6 115

Box Hill 58 10 20 12 2 102 29 12 14 9 4 68 170 15 7 4 187

Brunswick 8 0 1 2 0 11 5 1 0 3 2 11 22 0 11 1 35

Casey Cardinia Athletics 8 1 2 1 5 17 5 0 1 3 3 12 29 1 0 1 30

Coburg Harriers 40 2 8 3 10 63 12 1 5 7 8 33 96 4 6 0 101

Collingwood Harriers 57 2 6 7 8 80 15 2 1 3 3 24 104 2 20 0 121

Croydon 6 1 2 6 6 21 3 0 3 6 17 29 50 2 0 6 57

De la Salle old Collegians 4 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 4

Diamond Valley 53 8 14 12 7 94 14 7 11 7 6 45 139 8 4 1 143

Doncaster 34 10 16 19 11 90 12 7 14 16 11 60 150 5 10 1 164

east Melbourne Harriers 3 2 15 16 12 48 0 0 0 0 0 0 48 1 0 0 50

Frankston 17 7 17 12 8 61 5 11 8 14 9 47 108 9 5 9 129

Glenhuntly 95 6 12 10 6 129 33 4 12 15 18 82 211 15 11 2 234

Haileybury 9 0 0 0 0 9 4 0 0 0 0 4 13 2 1 4 18

Independent 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 4 26 0 35

Ivanhoe Harriers 9 6 0 3 0 18 1 1 0 1 0 3 21 3 4 3 29

Keilor St Bernards 28 8 6 9 6 57 14 7 11 15 22 69 126 7 12 0 135

Knox Athletics 50 11 22 23 6 112 28 11 20 18 14 91 203 8 12 2 220

Maccabi 6 1 2 8 9 26 0 0 2 3 5 10 36 1 4 1 41

Malvern Harriers 27 3 7 7 8 52 11 0 2 9 8 29 81 4 3 10 94

Melbourne university 46 4 0 1 0 51 35 3 2 2 2 44 95 5 9 1 105

Mentone 29 0 2 6 0 37 8 1 3 5 3 20 57 6 0 0 60

Mornington peninsula 14 1 3 5 5 28 1 0 3 3 3 10 38 3 3 0 41

oakleigh 18 0 0 1 0 19 2 0 0 0 0 2 21 0 2 0 23

old Melburnians 18 9 22 16 5 70 2 1 4 1 1 9 79 4 0 0 79

old paradians Meadowglen 6 0 1 3 1 11 2 0 0 0 0 2 13 1 3 3 18

old Scotch Collegians 24 4 5 6 5 44 1 0 0 0 0 1 45 0 0 0 45

old Xaverians 16 1 5 15 5 42 7 0 0 0 0 7 49 2 2 0 50

preston 16 9 6 7 5 43 5 3 4 10 6 28 71 2 7 1 77

richmond Harriers 29 2 4 5 4 44 12 1 1 0 0 14 58 3 2 1 60

ringwood 28 9 11 6 9 63 20 6 5 2 3 36 99 11 10 4 116

ruyton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 14 4 27 27 0 2 0 29

Sandringham 44 1 6 10 2 63 13 4 9 14 4 44 107 9 9 2 122

South Melbourne 17 1 1 0 4 23 1 1 0 0 1 3 26 0 0 0 26

St Kevins 25 7 4 7 2 45 1 0 1 1 0 3 48 1 1 1 49

St Stephens Harriers 30 5 8 8 3 54 10 7 9 3 2 31 85 8 5 2 93

Victorian Masters 29 0 0 0 0 29 10 0 0 0 0 10 40 0 2 0 40

Western Athletics 32 19 10 19 7 87 15 4 6 15 18 58 145 10 3 8 162

Williamstown 9 1 6 10 4 30 5 8 5 6 1 25 55 2 5 5 6644

MetropolitanClubs ope

n M

ale

u20

u18

u16

u14

tota

l Mal

e

ope

n Fe

mal

e

u20

u18

u16

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Athletics essendon 71 13 16 18 14 132 36 7 14 19 20 96 228 12 17 16 271

Athletics nunawading 16 3 1 4 2 26 2 0 6 8 1 17 43 4 4 2 51

Athletics Waverley 47 5 7 5 2 66 19 5 6 5 1 36 102 5 8 6 115

Box Hill 58 10 20 12 2 102 29 12 14 9 4 68 170 15 7 4 187

Brunswick 8 0 1 2 0 11 5 1 0 3 2 11 22 0 11 1 35

Casey Cardinia Athletics 8 1 2 1 5 17 5 0 1 3 3 12 29 1 0 1 30

Coburg Harriers 40 2 8 3 10 63 12 1 5 7 8 33 96 4 6 0 101

Collingwood Harriers 57 2 6 7 8 80 15 2 1 3 3 24 104 2 20 0 121

Croydon 6 1 2 6 6 21 3 0 3 6 17 29 50 2 0 6 57

De la Salle old Collegians 4 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 4

Diamond Valley 53 8 14 12 7 94 14 7 11 7 6 45 139 8 4 1 143

Doncaster 34 10 16 19 11 90 12 7 14 16 11 60 150 5 10 1 164

east Melbourne Harriers 3 2 15 16 12 48 0 0 0 0 0 0 48 1 0 0 50

Frankston 17 7 17 12 8 61 5 11 8 14 9 47 108 9 5 9 129

Glenhuntly 95 6 12 10 6 129 33 4 12 15 18 82 211 15 11 2 234

Haileybury 9 0 0 0 0 9 4 0 0 0 0 4 13 2 1 4 18

Independent 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 4 26 0 35

Ivanhoe Harriers 9 6 0 3 0 18 1 1 0 1 0 3 21 3 4 3 29

Keilor St Bernards 28 8 6 9 6 57 14 7 11 15 22 69 126 7 12 0 135

Knox Athletics 50 11 22 23 6 112 28 11 20 18 14 91 203 8 12 2 220

Maccabi 6 1 2 8 9 26 0 0 2 3 5 10 36 1 4 1 41

Malvern Harriers 27 3 7 7 8 52 11 0 2 9 8 29 81 4 3 10 94

Melbourne university 46 4 0 1 0 51 35 3 2 2 2 44 95 5 9 1 105

Mentone 29 0 2 6 0 37 8 1 3 5 3 20 57 6 0 0 60

Mornington peninsula 14 1 3 5 5 28 1 0 3 3 3 10 38 3 3 0 41

oakleigh 18 0 0 1 0 19 2 0 0 0 0 2 21 0 2 0 23

old Melburnians 18 9 22 16 5 70 2 1 4 1 1 9 79 4 0 0 79

old paradians Meadowglen 6 0 1 3 1 11 2 0 0 0 0 2 13 1 3 3 18

old Scotch Collegians 24 4 5 6 5 44 1 0 0 0 0 1 45 0 0 0 45

old Xaverians 16 1 5 15 5 42 7 0 0 0 0 7 49 2 2 0 50

preston 16 9 6 7 5 43 5 3 4 10 6 28 71 2 7 1 77

richmond Harriers 29 2 4 5 4 44 12 1 1 0 0 14 58 3 2 1 60

ringwood 28 9 11 6 9 63 20 6 5 2 3 36 99 11 10 4 116

ruyton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 14 4 27 27 0 2 0 29

Sandringham 44 1 6 10 2 63 13 4 9 14 4 44 107 9 9 2 122

South Melbourne 17 1 1 0 4 23 1 1 0 0 1 3 26 0 0 0 26

St Kevins 25 7 4 7 2 45 1 0 1 1 0 3 48 1 1 1 49

St Stephens Harriers 30 5 8 8 3 54 10 7 9 3 2 31 85 8 5 2 93

Victorian Masters 29 0 0 0 0 29 10 0 0 0 0 10 40 0 2 0 40

Western Athletics 32 19 10 19 7 87 15 4 6 15 18 58 145 10 3 8 162

Williamstown 9 1 6 10 4 30 5 8 5 6 1 25 55 2 5 5 66

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Athletics Chilwell 26 4 12 7 8 57 10 4 6 10 15 45 102 7 7 0 110Ballarat Harriers 38 2 6 2 5 53 9 0 1 2 1 13 66 2 3 17 84Ballarat YCW Harriers 42 4 4 7 13 70 16 2 5 8 7 38 108 2 7 23 136Bellarine Athletics t&F 12 0 0 4 6 22 5 2 2 2 0 11 33 2 7 0 38Bendigo university 6 1 1 0 1 9 1 0 0 0 0 1 10 1 1 8 18Bendigo YMCA Harriers 31 4 5 6 1 47 12 2 1 4 3 21 68 3 3 3 72Corio 2 1 3 2 2 10 2 0 4 3 3 12 22 0 3 0 25Deakin 20 3 1 3 0 27 7 3 8 6 2 26 53 5 4 3 62eaglehawk YMCA 22 3 7 6 11 49 13 4 5 17 17 56 105 2 6 1 108eureka 21 3 8 7 7 46 11 6 7 14 8 46 92 7 4 3 99Geelong Guild 14 7 5 4 1 31 16 4 5 4 2 30 61 1 12 1 74portland runners Club 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 9South Bendigo 21 2 8 4 7 42 7 2 3 4 4 20 62 4 7 1 71Stawell & Ararat Cross Country Club 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 10Warrnambool 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 10 11Wendouree 26 4 3 7 8 48 5 2 8 2 6 23 71 5 8 10 86

UnattachedBorder track & Field 6 0 1 1 1 9 4 0 1 1 1 7 16 1 0 1 17Gippsland Athletics 6 1 2 7 1 17 2 1 1 3 2 9 26 4 7 1 32South Coast Athletics 10 2 5 6 9 32 3 2 3 5 10 23 55 5 2 4 62South West Athletics 5 0 1 4 2 12 0 0 1 6 2 9 21 0 0 24 45traralgon Harriers 31 1 4 0 0 36 19 2 1 1 0 23 59 2 0 79 139Wangaratta Harriers 1 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 0 2 4 10Wellington Athletics 3 2 2 2 8 16 0 2 1 3 5 11 27 1 0 4 32Wodonga 10 4 4 4 1 23 9 1 3 2 5 20 43 1 1 1 44

SpecialistGroupBallarat Walkers Club 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2Bendigo Athletics 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1Bendigo Walkers Club 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Burramine Sports Club 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 10trakstart pty ltd 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 3Geelong Cross Country Club 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4Geelong Walkers Club 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Knox road runners 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 15rye Sports & Social Club 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 10Stawell Athletic Club 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 14Victorian Cross Country league 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 7Victorian Milers Club 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Victorian race Walking Club 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1Woady Yaloak 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2

Total 1430 220 351 387 277 2664 549 154 258 335 293 1586 4251 238 317 382 4991

recreational Athlete Member 13076

TOTALMEMBERSHIP 1806745

ofAthletics–Track&Fieldthe primary aims of the VIS track and field program are to provide the highest level of support to Victoria’s elite track and field athletes and to improve performances at major international athletics events including olympic, paralympic and Commonwealth Games, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships and International paralympic Committee (IpC) World Championships.

TheProgramthe program is recognised as the high performance service provider for Victorian athletes under the Athletics Australia High performance plan.

this year, maximising the opportunities for athletes to perform at the 2008 olympic/paralympic Games and 2009 IAAF World Championships was the central focus of the 2008/09 VIS track and Field program.

VIS track and field athletes work with individual coaches at training venues across the state. the VIS State performance Coordinator, together with specialist staff, provide support to athletes and coaches via the delivery of a coordinated service program (sports medicine, sport science, physical preparation, ACe) and competition support for each athlete.

the program year commenced with 21 VIS athletes finalising their preparations for the Beijing olympic Games. Following the olympics, athletes returned to Australia in order to work towards 2009 IAAF World Championship selection.

StAte perForMAnCe CoorDInAtor, DereK BootHroYD

VictorianInstitute Sport

46

Results&Highlights

May2008Benn Harradine broke the Australian discus record twice in two weeks at meets in the uSA

June2008thirteen VIS athletes were nominated to compete at the Beijing olympic Games

Men – Craig Mottram, Collis Birmingham*, Benn Harradine*, Scott Martin*, Sean Wroe*, lee troop, Jeff riseley.

Women – Sarah Jamieson, Madeleine pape*, Benita Johnson, lisa Weightman*, Kate Smyth*, Victoria Mitchell*

eight VIS athletes were selected to the track and field team to compete at the Beijing paralympic Games

Men – tim Sullivan, russell Short, Chris Mullins*, Ian Speed*, richard Colman

Women – lisa McIntosh, Jodi Willis‑roberts, Brydee Moore*

*denotes olympic/paralympic debutant

August2008Sean Wroe sets a personal best in the heats of the 400m at the olympic Games and progresses through to the semi finals at his first olympics.

the Australian Men’s 4 x 400m team, including Sean Wroe, clocks the 2nd fastest time ever by an Australian 4 x 400m team to finish 6th at the Beijing olympic Games.

September2008VIS paralympic Athletes return with 3 Gold Medals [lisa McIntosh 100m and 200m, tim Sullivan and Chris Mullins 4 x 100m], 1 Silver Medal [richard Coleman] and 2 Bronze Medals [richard Coleman and Jodi Willis‑roberts].

January2009Christopher Mullins is awarded an order of Australia Medal in recognition of his performances at the 2008 paralympic Games.

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March2009VIS athletes win 11 Gold Medals at the national Athletics Championships in Brisbane.

Sean Wroe lowers his 400m pB to 45.07sec at the national Championships.

lisa Weightman finishes in the top 20 [17th] at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Jordan.

At 31st March, 6 VIS were selected to represent Australia at the 2009 IAAF World Championships to be held in Berlin in August 2009.

DerekBoothroydStAte perForMAnCe CoorDInAtor

NetworkCoachesphil Badman, John eden, robbie Bolton, Alex Gusbeth, Mandi Cole, nic Bideau, Steve Moneghetti, Bruce Scriven, Gus puopolo, eric Hollingsworth, Simon Baker, Simon lewin, terry McGrath, Adam larcom, ray treacy, Jeff Hawkins, Andrew russell, Chris Wardlaw, pam turney, Dick telford.

PartnersAthletics Australia

Athletics Victoria

AthletesAaron rouge‑Serret, Benn Harradine, Benita Johnson, Brydee Moore, Chris Mullins, Collis Birmingham, Craig Mottram, Georgie Clarke, Ian Speed, Jeffrey riseley, Jessica rothwell, Jodi Willis‑roberts, Kate Smyth, Kathryn Mitchell, lee troop, lisa McIntosh, lisa Weightman, Madeleine pape, Mark Fountain, richard Colman, russell Short, Sarah Jamieson, Scott Martin, Sean Wroe, tim Sullivan, Victoria Mitchell

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Sport

47

AtHletICS VICtorIA, 2008–09

Financial ReportStatementbyBoardofManagementIn the opinion of the Board the attached financial report

1 presents a true and fair view of the financial position of Athletics Victorias Inc. as at 31 March 2009 and its performance for the year ended on that date in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards, mandatory professional reporting requirements and other authoritative pronouncements of the Australian Accounting Standards Board.

2 At the date of this statement, there are reasonable grounds to believe that Athletics Victoria Inc. will be able to pay its debts as and when they fall due.

this statement is made in accordance with a resolution of the board and is signed for and on behalf of the board by:

AnneLordpreSIDent

EricSigmonttreASurer

Date: 26th May 2009

48

BalanceSheetasat31stMarch2009 note 2009 2008

$ $

MembershipFundsACCuMulAteD reSerVeS 2 599,948 567,843

represented by:

Current ASSetS

Cash assets 3 300 300

A.n.Z. Bank 3 34,961 8,905

other Financial Assets 4 1,073,968 1,146,118

receivables 35,087 60,181

Inventories 65,382 71,125

payments in Advance 30,630 43,039

Deposits paid 2,787 700

1,243,115 1,330,368

non Current ASSetS

property, plant & equipment 5 66,801 99,263

totAl ASSetS 1,309,916 1,429,631

Deduct

lIABIlItIeS AnD proVISIonS

projects in progress 6 42,152 74,310

Sundry Creditors 84,106 121,586

GSt 259 827

Advance Grants – SrV 7 19,760 18,036

Advance Grants – Moving Athletics Forward 7 441,186 543,844

Advance Grants – Vichealth 0 0

Advance Grants ‑ AA 0 3,939

provision for Annual leave 63,349 42,422

provision for long Service leave 20,226 17,132

provision for future depreciation 23,285 33,441

provision for Audit fees 3,000 3,000

provision for obsolescence 0 0

Advance Deposits 12,646 3,251

totAl lIABIlItIteS 709,969 861,788

net ASSetS 599,948 567,843

49

IncomeStatementforyearended31stMarch2009 note 2009 2008

$ $

IncomeAthlete registrations 342,911 317,550

Club Affiliation/Claims/transfers 19,877 21,856

Investment Interest 77,427 79,594

Management/Administration Fees 4,322 5,014

Athletics Austalia – Development Grant 1,000 1,000

Athletics Australia – telephone Subsidy 0 5,855

Athletics Australia – Memorandum of understanding 0 6,547

Athletics Victoria Foundation Grant 9,087 0

Merchandising 81,379 68,366

Sponsorship/Grants 22,273 12,500

Sundry 6,937 4,440

VAl rent 5,479 5,300

SuB totAl 570,692 528,022

DeVelopMent ACtIVItIeS (Gross operating Surplus)

VicHealth program 0 12,474

Government Grants 7 37,720 60,024

Schools Competitions 5,545 9,246

officials/Coaches 30,228 17,377

General Development 5,915 2,010

SuB totAl 79,408 101,131

CoMpetItIon ACtIVItIeS (Gross operating Surplus)

Winter events 32,044 24,037

Summer events (76,149) (35,997)

Championships 7,625 18,897

Schools events 44,740 32,911

State teams 19,385 5,225

Sundries (5,952) (5,823)

Special Meets 37,790 8,262

SuB totAl 59,483 47,512

InCoMe 709,583 676,665

totAl eXpenDIture 677,478 562,368

SurpluS/(DeFICIt) For YeAr 32,105 114,297

AtHletICS VICtorIA, 2008–09

Financial Report

50

IncomeStatementforyearended31stMarch2009 2009 2008

$ $

ExpenditureAdvertising 590 692

Affiliation expenses 577 614

Audit fees 3,510 3,350

Awards & Gifts 5,680 1,802

Bank/Government charges 5,610 5,117

Board expenses 2,532 3,492

Capitation 0 3,667

Committee expenses 389 321

Computer expenses 12,003 11,548

Courier expenses 164 280

Depreciation 12,758 23,081

Insurances 26,425 25,404

lease payments – equipment 0 5,395

legal expenses 16,064 0

Maintenance – equipment & Furniture 5,086 3,301

Meetings 3,851 1,163

Merchandising 78,507 61,999

office rent 24,810 23,811

photocopier and Fax expenses 7,760 6,153

postage 7,428 8,690

printing & Stationery 25,537 24,222

Salaries 374,837 303,615

Staff/office Amenities 4,370 3,269

Staff training 1,277 120

Sundry 12,603 4,822

Superannuation 35,201 25,031

telephone 7,789 8,682

travel 2,118 2,727

totAl 677,478 562,368

51

StatementofCashFlowsforyearended31stMarch2009 note 2009 2008

$ $

CASH FloWS FroM operAtInG ACtIVItIeS

receipts from customers 1,184,987 1,279,043

payments to suppliers and employees (1,233,859) (1,263,845)

Interest received 77,427 79,594

GSt paid (71,649) (84,844)

net CASH FloWS FroM operAtInG ACtIVItIeS 8 (43,094) 9,946

CASH FloWS FroM InVeStInG ACtIVItIeS

Advances (to)/from short term deposits 72,150 49,167

proceeds from sale of investments 0 0

Acquisition of F/A (3,000) (56,649)

net CASH FloWS uSeD In InVeStInG ACtIVIteS 26,056 (7,482)

net InCreASe/(DeCreASe) In CASH HelD 26,056 2,466

Add opening cash brought forward 9,205 6,739

CloSInG CASH CArrIeD ForWArD 35,261 9,205

AtHletICS VICtorIA, 2008–09

Financial Report

52

NotestotheFinancialStatementsforyearended31stMarch2009

1StatementofSignificantAccountingPoliciesthe financial report is a general purpose financial report that has been prepared in accordance with Accounting Standards, Australian Accounting Interpretations, other authoritative pronouncements of the Australian Accounting Standards Board and the requirements of the Associations Incorporation Act (Victoria).

the financial report covers Athletics Victoria Inc. as an individual entity. Athletics Victoria Inc. is an association incorporated in Victoria under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981.

the financial report of Athletics Victoria Inc as an individual entity complies with all Australian equivalents to International Financial reporting Standards (AIFrS) in their entirety.

the following is a summary of the material accounting policies adopted by the Association in the preparation of the financial report. the accounting policies have been consistently applied, unless otherwise stated.

ReportingBasisandConventionsthe financial report has been prepared on an accruals basis and is based on historical costs and does not take into account changing money values or, except where specifically stated, current valuations of non‑current assets.

AccountingPolicies(a) Fixed Assets

the assets have been recorded at cost and the policy of the Board is to annually reassess the market value of the fixed assets and depreciate accordingly, to show the lower of cost or net realisable value.

(b) Income tax

the Association is exempt from income tax by virtue of Section 50‑45 of the Income tax Assessment Act 1997.

(c) revenue

the surplus/deficit from projects completed during the year transferred to the income and expenditure statement represents the net of revenues (including revenue received by way of grants to some projects) and expenses of those projects.

53

AtHletICS VICtorIA, 2008–09

Financial Report

2MembershipFunds 2009 2008

$ $

Accumulated Surplus as at 1st April 2008 567,843 453,546

Surplus/(Deficit) for year 32,105 114,297

Balance as at 31st March 2009 599,948 567,843

3CashatBank&OnHand 2009 2008

Cash on hand 300 300

A.n.Z.Bank 34,961 8,905

Balance as at 31st March 2009 35,261 9,205

4Investments 2009 2008

AnZ V2 plus 25,000 5,000

Bendigo Building Society (IooF) 643,543 0

AnZ term Deposit 405,425 0

AnZ Bank Commercial Bills 0 1,141,118

Balance as at 31st March 2009 1,073,968 1,146,118

5FixedAssets 2009 2008

office equipment & Furniture at cost 193,933 208,640

less accumulated depreciation (127,132) (109,377)

total written down value at 31st March 2009 66,801 99,263

6ProjectsinProgress 2009 2008

Schools Knock out 1,309 1,691

AtFCA Courses 10,109 0

Development Squad 136 1,136

AV Future Squad 30,598 62,663

officials rewards Scheme 0 8,820

Balance unexpended at 31st March 2009 42,152 74,310

projects in progress represents unexpended funds from projects which are expected to be spent in the future.

AV Future Squad has been funded by sponsorship and has seen $49,808.51 distributed to Future Squad athletes and $27,711 expended on the employment of Coaches during 2008‑09.

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7StateGovernmentGrants 2009 2008

$ $

Advance Grants at 1/4/08 561,880 607,971

add income:

Sport Development Scheme 20,000 10,000

Automated timing project 0 20,000

Moving Athletics Forward 300,000 300,000

Indigenous Sport Devt program 2,000 0

Victalent 0 1,000

322,000 331,000

total 883,880 938,971

less expenses 385,214 317,067

less Advance Grants – SrV MAF at 31/3/09 441,186 543,844

less Advance Grants – SrV at 31/3/09 19,760 18,036

846,160 878,947

37,720 60,024

the reported surplus of $37,720 is offset by expenses of salaries, administration and program running costs, hence the program has made a nil net contribution to the Statement of Financial performance of the Association.

A “Moving Athletics Forward” grant of $1,200,000 has been allocated by the Department for Victorian Communities from 2007 to 2009. $758,814 has been expended to 31/3/09. the four programs supported by this grant are: Development officer Support, Schools Knockout, Mind the Gap and officials and Coach recruitment.

8StatementofCashFlows 2009 2008

$ $(a) reconciliation of cash

Cash on hand 300 300

Bank Account 34,961 8,905

Closing Cash Balance 35,261 9,205

(b) reconciliation of the operating profit after tax to the net cash flows from operations

operating profit after tax 32,105 114,297

Depreciation of non‑current assets 35,461 23,081

Changes in assets and liabilities

trade and other receivables 25,094 (34,063)

Inventory 5,743 (56,467)

prepayments and deposits 10,322 (24,920)

Advance Grants (104,873) (79,950)

trade and other creditors (70,398) 48,218

employee entitlements 24,021 19,412

Goods and services tax payable (568) 338

net cash flow from (used in) operating activities (43,094) 9,94655

IndependentAuditor’sReporttotheMembersofAthleticsVictoriaInc.

ReportontheFinancialReportWe have audited the accompanying financial report of Athletics Victoria Inc. (the Association) which comprises the balance sheet as at 31st March 2009 and the income statement, statement of recognisedincome and expenditure and cash flow statement for the year ended on that date, a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory notes and the statement by members of the committee.

Committee’sResponsibilityfortheFinancialReportthe committee of the Association is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial report in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards (including the Australian Accounting Interpretations) and the Associations Incorporation Act (Vic). this responsibility includes establishing and maintaining internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of the financial report that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error; selecting and applying appropriate accounting policies; and making accounting estimates that are reasonable in the circumstances.

Auditor’sResponsibilityour responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial report based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards. these Auditing Standards require that we comply with relevant ethical requirements relating to audit engagements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial report is free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial report. the procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks

of material misstatement of the financial report, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial report in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by the committee, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial report.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

IndependenceIn conducting our audit, we have complied with the independence requirements of Australian professional ethical pronouncements.

Auditor’sOpinionIn our opinion –

the financial report of Athletics Victoria Inc. is in accordance with the Associations Incorporation Act (Vic), including –

(i) giving a true and fair view of the Association’s financial position as at 31st March 2009 and of its performance for the year ended on that date; and

(ii) complying with Australian Auditing Standards (including the Australian Accounting Interpretations) and the Associations Incorporation Act (Vic).

name of Firm: e. F. McpHAIl AnD pArtnerS

name of partner: Wayne C. Durdin

Address: 38 ellingworth parade, Box Hill, Victoria, 3128

Dated this 18th day of June 2009

AtHletICS VICtorIA, 2008–09

Financial Report

56

Athletics Victoria gratefully acknowledge the following sponsors for their continued support over the 2008–09 year